It started with a jutsu
by Trinnerti
Summary: Being tricked by his two former students he’s transformed into a cat and placed under Sakura’s care. Will there bloom something up between them or will he just be Sakura’s sweet kitty cat?
1. tricked

A/N: Here's the first chapter of the story that won the poll. The last chapter of Left behind will come up as soon as my beta is done with her checks. Hope you enjoy!

**Diclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Summary:** Being tricked by his two former students he's transformed into a cat and placed under Sakura's care. Will there bloom something up between them or will he just be Sakura's sweet kitty cat?

**It started with a jutsu**

It was quite a beautiful day. The sun was shining bright in the cloudless blue sky, there was a soft breeze that cooled the heated air and the birds were chirping happily. Naruto and Sasuke stared lazily at the pair sparring before them, seeking cover under the shade of a tree. They were already done sparring themselves and not wanting to fight any more they simply stared at the other two remaining members of their team.

Sakura was panting quite heavily as she slammed her fist into the ground and quickly leaped away from their former sensei. Said man stared amazed at the ground, still not quite used to the fact that the pink haired woman could do such things and cause such damage so easily. He disappeared in a poof of smoke and shortly after that there was a high pitched scream. A pink blur burst out of the trees, hitting the ground and stopped somewhere in the middle of the open field. Grunting she grabbed her side, coughing up some blood and spitting it on the ground. She suddenly jumped up, and in the place where she'd previously been several kunai's were now dug into the ground. Landing gracefully on the ground she sought cover in the woods before her, her hand glowing dim green as she healed her wound.

There was a short moment of silence; the only sound to be heard was the chirping of birds high in the sky and the sleepy yawn Naruto gave as he stretched his arms above him before lowering them to his sides again. Then two blurs of pink and silver appeared again, their kunai clanging against each other as they fought. Even if they were far away from them you could still clearly see the amused glint in the older ninja's onyx eye and the small smile on Sakura's lips. They were obviously enjoying their spar immensely.

"Ne Teme?" Naruto suddenly spoke up as his bright eyes still concentrated on the fight between the other two.

"Hn?"

"What would you think of Sakura and Kakashi together?"

"What made you think that Dobe?" Sasuke asked confused.

"Well you're dating Inashi and all and I can't do it myself as I'm dating Hinata. And Sakura seems rather relaxed and happy around Kakashi. Why not bring those two together?"

"Dobe."

"Teme I'm serious! Sakura deserves some happiness and I would rather it to be with Kakashi than somebody we don't know. Besides have you seen the looks they give each other? They already like one another. And look how good they look together and how they're glowing now while they spar. Wouldn't it be worth a shot?"

"Hn. Maybe you're right. But what makes you think that they would simply hook up?"

"That's where we come in," Naruto said with a playful glint is his bright blue eyes. He turned his gaze finally to his best friend and rival beside him and smiled. "Remember the scroll I told you about once?"

"You've got to be kidding me Dobe. That will never work."

"Fine back off, I don't need your help anyway," Naruto pouted and crossed him arms. "But when they're happy together then you can't claim you did anything!"

Sasuke sighed, knowing there wouldn't be anything that could stop Naruto from this ridiculous idea. "Fine I'm in, but only to watch you and make sure you don't mess anything up. You're right about Sakura; she needs some happiness in her life."

Naruto smiled and turned his gaze back to the pink haired jounin. After he'd left the village for three years for training with Jiraiya, Sakura was left alone in the village. He'd heard from Jiraiya that Kakashi had gone back to ANBU while he waited for him to return and it saddened him a little. He'd hoped that he would turn his attention towards Sakura but didn't. She had sought out her own guidance from the fifth Hokage no less and had blossomed from a frightened little girl that didn't know what to do, into a beautiful woman with confidence, strength and medical skills to rival those of Tsunade herself. Now at the age of twenty-three she was a well accomplished jounin and third best medic, able to take her rightful place in standing next to her two teachers, Shizune and Tsunade.

She was still the same girl he'd known before he left, but not so the love struck teen anymore. And while they were only friends back then, they eventually grew much closer than ever before. They were like a brother and sister how they acted around each other now. And when two years back dragged the other pissed off part of their little family back they were finally whole again. But then something horrible had happened to Sakura a half a year ago. While they were away on a mission, her parents well known merchants all over the fire country were ambushed by rogue nin's. When they got back and reported in to the Hokage's office she had received the heartbreaking news.

Her bright emerald eyes stared with shock and disbelief at her Shishou before she raced out of the office and sprinted to her childhood home, only to find it empty. She yelled her parents names over and over again before she slumped to the ground soon after. It broke Naruto's heart to see her that way. He'd remained firmly by her side at the funeral, silently hugging her from behind at training breaks trying to give her some comfort. She didn't say much after that, her eyes dulled as she mourned over her parents. But she never cried once in their presence. He watched hopelessly as the lively fire in the kunoichi began to falter, she ate less and dark circles appeared under her eyes. She screamed in her sleep when she went on missions with them, but not once had she turned towards them to help her get over the loss. Only when she fainted in a training session did Kakashi decided he'd had quite enough of her behaviour and gave her a lecture on how stupid her behaviour of the past weeks had been. And it was he who had been around for the next days to make sure she looked after herself well. And thanks to him every day they got a bit more of the old Sakura back.

And now looking at them sparring against each other with great enjoyment Naruto knew that those two would be good for each other. He watched as Sakura wasn't quick enough to dodge Kakashi's counterblow and fell onto the ground, both of them rolling a few times until they stopped. Sakura pinned under him while laughter bubbled out of her lips.

"You won again Sensei," Sakura breathed as she stared up at the man hovering above her.

"You're getting better every day Sakura, I have to watch out," Kakashi grinned back. He stood up, sticking out his hand to help Sakura up. Grabbing his hand gratefully she was hauled up, and kept hold of his hand just a bit longer then necessary before letting go. She dusted herself off whilst smiling at him.

"One day I'm going to beat you Kakashi, you'd better be ready."

She turned her back on him and made way towards her other two team mates, Kakashi following not far behind her.

"You did great Sakura-chan," Naruto beamed at his pink haired friend as she fell down beside him. He handed her, her water canteen and she grabbed it gratefully, gulping some water down.

"Why didn't you two fight?" Sakura asked between her swallows.

"We were already done and Dobe here didn't want to have his ass beaten again."

"Teme that's not true!"

"Hn."

Sakura only shook her head as her team mates stared bickering against one another. Lying down her canteen on the grass she swatted both her friends at the same time on the back of their heads. "Stop it you two, you're going to give me a headache!"

"Ouch! Sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto apologized as he rubbed the now sore spot on his head. "So are we going for ramen?"

"I'm sorry Naruto," Sakura apologized as she gathered her stuff together. "I can't, I'm expected at the hospital today. Shizune's going to teach me to extract poison out with a new technique."

"It's cool Sakura-chan. I'll see you later!"

Sakura smiled as she hugged him from behind before standing up. "See you guys tomorrow!" She waved before hoisting her pack on her back with ease and ran off.

"Hn. I'm going too. Inashi is waiting for me at her mother's shop."

Naruto watched as the raven haired man walked off before he turned to the last remaining team mate who leaned against the bark of the tree, his smutty book opened as he read in peace.

"Ne, Kakashi?" Naruto started as he turned towards his former sensei.

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with a jutsu."

Kakashi flipped another page and continued to read, making Naruto wonder if he heard his question at all. Knowing how to get under his skin he sighed disappointedly, his bright eyes dulled with sadness as he stood up and slowly walked away, his form slumped.

"Fine I'll help," Kakashi sighed as he snapped his book shut.

"Cool! Thanks Kakashi!" Naruto yelled happily while inwardly he laughed evilly as he got what he wanted. "Wait here I'll be right back to get the scroll," he said before he sprinted off.

Kakashi sighed heavily as he watched the blonde sprint off but under his mask he smiled softly. When he'd seen the slumped and disappointed form of Naruto he knew he would agree to help him, even if it might come back to bite him in the ass later. Opening his book yet again he continued to read as he waited for Naruto to return.

When he finally returned Kakashi looked up at the panting form of his former student. Placing his book safely in his pouch for later he waited patiently for Naruto tell him what the problem was. Naruto knelt down on the ground, rolling out the scroll and looked at the seals now staring back at him.

"Can you lend me a hand Kakashi?"

"Sure." Kakashi stood up and knelt down on the other side of the scroll, looking at it with curiosity. "Just make it quick, I was getting to a good part of the book."

Naruto sighed but held back the comment that was lying on the tip of his tongue. Instead he grabbed Kakashi's hand and quickly cut a small wound in his index finger. A few blood drops landed on the scroll while Kakashi jerked his hand back confused. "What was that for?!"

"It's an A-ranked jutsu and will only work with a highly skilled ninja," Naruto lied quickly while in his head a quite different answer was said. '_I don't want the jutsu to effect me._' His hands raced for the seals quickly and Kakashi watched in confusion at his former student.

"It seems you don't need help at all Naruto. You're doing quite well yourself."

And as soon as he was finished his sentence, Naruto slammed his hands on the seals. Before he knew what hit him he was knocked over, pain filling his senses as the world seemed to change before him. He groaned softly and the last thing he saw before he blacked out was a blonde mop of hair. He cursed at himself loudly for letting himself be tricked into Naruto's trap.

When he finally opened his eyes again, he noticed immediately that he wasn't in the training grounds anymore. He was lying on something soft and everything seemed so different, far larger than it was before. He heard some footsteps coming his way and soon after that he saw his two former students kneeling beside him. Sasuke was holding something in his arms and stared at him sceptically while Naruto smiled brightly at him.

"Took you awhile to wake up you lazy ass!"

"Watch it Naruto!" Kakashi tried to yell at him. But he was shocked when a totally different sound came out of his mouth than he'd expected. His eyes widened and stared in shock at the two males before him. He was meowing! He, the awesome, infamous copy ninja was making freaking cat sounds!

Naruto was smiling sheepishly as he scratched his head. Sasuke was now smirking at him with a satisfied glint. Standing up he narrowed his eyes as he yelled at Naruto angrily.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" But just like before his speech came out as short meows and hisses.

Something hairy brushed against his side and he jumped slightly from shock. No way… Turning around in circles he ignored the laughs he received from Naruto and Sasuke, he knew very well it looked stupid but he just needed to know. And yes there it was the blasting thing he was searching for, a busy silver tail, his tail. Sitting down on his hind legs he sighed heavily, hoping it was just a bad dream and he would wake up in his bed.

Opening his eyes he glared at the two people before him. "You two are so dead when I'm done with you. Now change me back!"

"I can't understand what you're saying Kakashi," Sasuke answered calmly, earning a heated glare in return.

"No can do sensei, it's for your own good," Naruto answered him. "And Sakura's…" he added quietly afterwards.

"How come that you can understand me and the brat over there doesn't?" Kakashi asked irritated, still not wanting to forgive them for what they'd done to him.

"I've got a fox in me remember?" Naruto sighed. He grabbed the thing Sasuke was holding and turned it around. "It's only fair that you can see how you look right now."

Kakashi blinked, staring at his reflexion in the mirror. He was a middle sized cat, his fur bushy, silver and sticking out in every way possible. His paws and the tip of his tail on the other hand were black. He still had mismatched eyes, one red and the other dark blue. And of course there was the scar crossing his left red eye. He must say he looked rather cute for a being a cat.

"Why did you change me?" Kakashi sighed heavily.

"Well I noticed the glances you give Sakura-chan and I know you like her." Right after that statement Kakashi was eternally glad that cats couldn't blush. His eyes widened and he stared at the blonde ninja before him.

"Don't worry; Sasuke and I don't mind it. We thought that this way you could see another side of Sakura. Since the accident with her parents, she still acts like she's happy. But you haven't heard her scream the way she does when she sleeps. And you know she won't go to any of us because she doesn't want to appear weak." Naruto explained. "Just please play along, only for two weeks and if you still don't like it we change you back."

Knowing he had no other choice, he tilted his head down in defeat. Naruto was wrong at about one thing though. He had heard Sakura scream in her sleep; that happened while he was staying with her. But never once had she come up to him to talk about it, no matter how much he hinted to her he was there to help.

He yelped when he was pulled up, his hind legs now dangling in the air as Naruto had grabbed him just behind his front legs. His other arm came up from below, letting Kakashi rest upon his arm as he was carried towards the kitchen. He was let loose on the table, stumbled a little before he stared at Naruto with confusion. He only knew what they were planning when Sasuke walked into the kitchen, lying down a small plate in front of him, red goo resting atop of it. His eyes already watered at the terrible smell, his front paws coming up to cover his nose. Was this torture or something? No way was he going to eat that!

"What are you waiting for Sensei, eat it!" Naruto said happily, pushing the small plate closer to Kakashi.

"Eat it yourself!" Kakashi growled back and slammed one of his paws against the small plate, shoving it over the edge of the table. A clack was heard as he looked down over the edge, he looked rather satisfied with his work as he saw that the reddish goo was plastered over the ground and the small plate had been broken into pieces.

"That was your dinner! The most expensive cat food there was!" Naruto yelled at him.

"Eat is yourself then, no way you're getting me to eat that." He tilted up his nose and turned around showing them his back in protest.

"I take it he didn't like it," Sasuke said lightly, watching the scene unfold before him. "I side with him on this one Dobe, it does smell rather disgusting."

"See even Sasuke agrees with me!" Kakashi yelled back.

"Alright already!" Naruto growled back at him. "I get it; it's on the no list. I was just trying it out."

"C'mon Dobe we need to get going if we want to get to her before she leaves."

"Oh right." Grabbing Kakashi quickly again they took off, leaving the nasty reddish stuff behind on Naruto's kitchen floor.

**xXx**

Sakura was rather tired when she finally excited the hospital. She had learned much today but the technique Shizune showed her still drained a lot from her chakra system. Yawning tiredly she started to make way towards her apartment thinking with a smile of her bed that was waiting for her. It surprised her then greatly when Sasuke and Naruto suddenly stopped in front of her. She blinked confused, first worried that they were hurt but seeing no injuries she sighed, placing her hands in her sides as she waited to tell them what they wanted from her. All she wanted was a shower and a bed to pass out on, was that really too much to ask?

"Good we caught you," Naruto panted, his hands resting behind him.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrow at their strange behaviour. "And what are you holding behind your back?"

As if he was waiting for that question, Naruto smiled brightly, shoving his hands forward and showing her a cat. Sakura stared at him, not saying anything as the thing stared back at her.

"What's with the cat?" She asked; finally looking up from the cat to her team mates.

"Well we found this cat on the street and asked around if anyone knew the owner but it seems no one knows the cat. And since I'm not allowed animals in my building and Sasuke hates animals in his house we wanted to give it to you. We thought you might like a pet."

Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "And why would I want a cat?"

"Ah c'mon Sakura-chan! He's cute and doesn't he remind you of someone?" Now that she looked closer it looked a lot like her sensei, the silver fur standing every way like his hair, the mismatched eyes and even the scar over his left eye.

Narrowing her eyes she glared at the two. "You didn't hurt this animal to make the scar did you?!" Her voice sounded pissed.

Naruto gasped shocked, pulling the animal once again close to his chest. "Of course not! I wouldn't hurt an innocent animal."

"What about the rabbit Dobe?" Sasuke asked, smirking at the memory.

"He wasn't innocent! He was evil!" Naruto yelled back. They started an argument while Sakura shook her head tiredly. She stared at the cat once again who looked back at her. It really was creepy how much he looked like Kakashi.

"Stop it you two!" She snapped effectively shutting the two up and Naruto turned towards her once again.

"Sorry, Teme distracted me again."

" Hn."

"Shut up!" Naruto growled before he thrust the cat into Sakura's arms. Not expecting him to do that, Sakura stumbled, her arms flying widely as she tried not to let the cat drop and turned him in her hold so he was more comfortable.

"Repeating my question once again, why would I want a cat?" This time Sasuke answered.

"It isn't that bad Sakura. You've been alone quite awhile and we thought you might want some company especially after what happened to-," He was silenced when Naruto slapped him on the back of his head, hissing at him to shut the hell up.

Sakura's eyes dulled and tilted his head down, knowing what he was talking about. Even if a half a year had passed, she still hadn't gotten up the courage to go back to her childhood home to clean their stuff up. Feeling the cat slip away a little she tilted him up better making sure he wouldn't fall out of her grip.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Sakura answered softly. Just wanting to go home she knew she had no other choice than to take the cat with her. Only then would Naruto let it drop and she was an animal lover after all. "Fine, I'll take it."

"Cool Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed and watched her walk away, the cat resting in her arms, but quickly yelled after her, "He doesn't like cat food by the way!"

That stopped her for the moment, and turned around confused. "Then what am I supposed to feed him?"

"Just give him what you're eating! Have fun!" and with that both boys disappeared.

Shaking her head tiredly she continued on her way, adjusting the cat in her arms as she grabbed her key to enter her apartment. When the door was finally opened, she let the cat go on the ground and kicked the door closed. Throwing the keys on the small table next to the door, she took off her shoes before she walked further in. The cat in question had already claimed a spot on her couch.

"If you even think of sharpening your nails on my stuff, you're going to be a nice wall decoration," Sakura growled at the cat as she saw him stretch his paws. Her eyes darkened as she glared at the animal.

Walking into the kitchen she started to make some dinner. When she was finally done and turned around to eat at the dining table she was the cat sitting on her dining table, his head tilted in an angle as if he was begging for some food too.

Remembering what Naruto said, she grabbed a small plate, scooped some food on the plate before placing it before him. He closed his eyes briefly and for one second it looked as if he was smiling before he titled his head down and started to eat. Smiling softly at the cat she sat down herself and started to eat while reading one of the scrolls from work. Not really hungry herself; she only at a part of the meal and after a few minutes when she'd stopped eating; she heard something chewing close to her.

Looking up confused she saw the cat in front of her, happily eating off her plate. She stared at him confused and turned her gaze to the small plate she'd given him. It was already empty and even licked clean. Shaking her head softly she softly petted his head.

"You're quite an eater aren't you?" She muttered softly at him. She watched as he licked her plate clean too, smacking his lips a bit when he was done. His tongue came out cleaning the spot around his mouth hoping that something was stuck in his whiskers and savouring the taste. He looked at her then while he sat down.

"You're not getting anymore food if that's what you're begging for." She stood up from her place and grabbed the two dishes and lay them down in the sink. Walking over to the table again she grabbed the scroll she had left there before making her way to the living room. Sitting down on the couch she closed the scroll and placed it on the coffee table not really in the mood for reading any further tonight. She jumped slightly as something hairy passed her bare ankles and stared at the cat that jumped up next to her on the couch.

"Well I suppose I should give you a name," Sakura started then. "You look a lot like a person I know, but I can't call you the same way as him, it would seem like a have a crush on him or something." She sighed and stared at him. "But no other name seems to fit you as well; also I don't think you want to be called Fluffy or Mr. Whiskers." She shuddered herself at the names, seeing Kakashi doing the same. There was no way in hell he was going to react if she called him either of those names! If she even thought of naming him that way he was seriously going to use his new claws.

"Hmm… What about Kashi?" Sakura wondered, and stared down at the animal.

Well it couldn't be much worse, and it was at least a decent name and not to mention a short cut of his own name. As a reply Kakashi walked over to his pink haired team mate and lay down in her lap. He had to agree with the cats that always seemed to curl up on the female's laps. It was soft and comfy and very warm. And after that delicious meal Sakura had cooked for him he really wanted to sleep. He purred softly when Sakura started to stroke him and before he knew it he fell into a dreamless slumber.

_**To be continued…**_


	2. sweets

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, fav's and alerts. I'm glad you guys like it so much. Sorry for the late update but here it is than finally. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 2:**

The alarm's prevalent sound filled the room, startling the kunoichi awake from her sleep. She stirred lazily and tilted her head a bit up to look at the time. Sighing she let her head rest upon her pillow yet again. Raising her left hand she slammed on the alarm. Closing her eyes briefly she slowly forced herself to wake.

She jumped inwardly as something hairy brushed against her bare shoulder. Turning her head to the other side she smiled down at the silver bushy cat lying against her side, still fast asleep. His tail brushing against her bare skin once again that left a dull itch in its wake. Stroking him softly on his head, she carefully pulled the sheets off of her, not wanting to wake the cat. Standing up and stretching her arms above her head she yawned loudly. She slumped back to her normal posture and dragged herself towards the attached bathroom.

Preparing herself for the day in the bathroom, the little creature resting upon her bed was still oblivious to the fact that the comfortable heat surrounding him was gone. Without opening his eyes he tried to crawl closer to Sakura, wanting her body warmth back. But to his surprise he rolled over heap sheets Sakura was earlier. Finally opening his mismatched eyes he blinked confused at the cast up sheets, showing the white sheet that always covered the mattress. Flicking his ears up he tried to hear where Sakura was. The sound of running water caught his attention and turned around to see steam slowly creep into the room from the small crack that indicated that Sakura didn't close the door that well.

Yawning loudly he laid down upon the soft sheets once again and waited for Sakura to emerge to give him some food; his mouth watering as he thought at the delicious meal Sakura had cooked yesterday. He closed his eyes, waiting patiently for Sakura to return as he rested. It wasn't that bad for the second day turned as a cat. Sure the transformation was quite painful in the beginning and it was rather weird to have fur, but if he could be as lazily without being disturbed by annoying brats or his eternal rival whining for another match; he sighed happily, than this was heaven. If only he could read his beloved books. He wouldn't mind how long Naruto and Sasuke wanted him as a cat. Talking about his book; his eyes opened in alarm. What happened to the one he carried in his pouch before he was turned? He really needed to talk with Naruto about that. If anything happened with his babies…, Kakashi growled slightly.

He jumped startled when the door on his left suddenly was pulled open; the thoughts about his precious books had made him drop his guard. But what even startled him more was Sakura's appearance and for the second time in his lifetime being a cat he was glad he couldn't blush. There was his former student clad in nothing but a towel! Her hair was still in a dark shade of pink because of the water and a few water drops decorated her peachy skin. Kakashi swallowed heavily and his eyes widened as Sakura started to untie the towel that shielded her from him. His heart raced in his chest and his throat went dry as her body was about to be revealed to him.

Before he knew what happened a rather damp towel was thrown over him, shielding his vision. At one point he was glad Sakura had thrown in over him, even though she didn't do it with purpose. But the other side of him was disappointed that he didn't get a full vision. He mentally slapped himself for that thought and instead he tried to focus how to get out of his towel prison. He struggled and after a lot of effort his head finally poked out underneath the towel. He caught a flash of white silk undergarments before something red was thrown over him. He yelped which caught Sakura's attention.

Turning around she snickered slightly at the lump underneath her red tank top and her towel. The lump was moving and it was rather a cute sight seeing Kashi struggling to get out of his cloth prison. She was so lost in thoughts she hadn't seen her cat sitting on the edge of the bed. Wanting to help him out of his misery Sakura walked over to the bed and plucked her red shirt off Kakashi and threw it a bit further upon her bed.

"Sorry about that," Sakura smiled as she stared into the mismatched eyes. She scratched him behind his ear as an act for forgiveness before she turned around yet again and walked over to her closet.

Sighing she put on her knee length black shorts and pulled on a casual shirt. Walking over to the other side of the bed, she sat down and started to brush her hair. Lying down her brush, she grabbed her hair tie before pulling her hair up in a low ponytail. Without glancing into the mirror if she did it well enough she made her way out of the bedroom, the soft thump on the ground let her know that the silver cat also jumped off the bed and followed her towards the kitchen.

Quickly making something to eat for herself and her pet she sat down as she glanced into her agenda. She sighed heavily as she saw she had a meeting with all the heads of different apartments in the hospital. Tsunade wanted her to be there since she held the hope that Sakura once would run the place. Sakura however didn't want that just yet. She still loved going out on missions and wouldn't want to submit to a fulltime job in the hospital. Finishing her breakfast she placed her plate into the sink, grabbed an apple from the fruit basket before making her way towards the door. Sitting down on the ground she pulled on her running shoes. When she was done and wanted to stand up she was startled when Kashi was sitting before her, his head tilted to the side as asking where she was going.

"Stay here, I'll be back over a few hours." Sakura mumbled; grabbing Kashi and placing him back into her apartment so he wouldn't run off. Turning around she grabbed her keys and opened the door, quickly followed with a click as sign she had locked the door.

Kakashi sighed as he stared at the closed door before turning around and jumping onto the window sill and pushing his head against the glass as he stared at Sakura's form standing beneath. She seemed to hesitate slightly to which direction to run in before she turned to the left and started running. He kept watching until she vanished from his sight, not being able to see her anymore no matter which angle he could sit to stare outside.

Jumping off the window sill he turned his head up towards the clock. It was only half six, most people still sleeping in their beds and she was already up and running. Shaking his head slightly he tried to find something to do. After an half hour wandering through her apartment Kakashi was getting bored. There was nothing he could do; the apartment was clean, there was no clothes lying around or embarrassing photos that he could use later for blackmail, nothing. Sighing he jumped once again on the window sill, staring longingly outside. He wondered what Sakura was doing. He hung down his head only to smirk at what he saw.

Why hadn't he thought of that before? Pushing his paw against the switch he started pushing until he heard the familiar click. Satisfied he now placed both his front paws on the window and leaned forward. He yelped as the window clapped open en dropped onto the small balcony beneath the window. He breathed relieved, staring down to ground as his head poked over the edge of the balcony he was standing on. If the balcony wasn't there he could have been scrapped off the street. Jumping onto the railing, he jumped over to a branch of a tree near. Running to the bark he looked down to the other branches beneath him. Skilfully jumping on the one to the other till he was back on the soil ground in no time.

He smiled in triumph and stared back up to the window he escaped from. Happy he wasn't locked in that dreadful apartment with nothing to do, he ran off into the direction he saw Sakura run in. He stopped some times to sniff the air, the lingering scent of Sakura's soap still hanging in the air as it wasn't overwhelmed by the scents of food or other people.

It was still quite early and except from some shinobi leaping over the roofs to either a mission or training it was still quiet. Following the scent trail he ended up in the woods. Sprinting a bit harder, wanting to catch up with his temporarily caretaker he raced over the ground, enjoying the feeling of jumping over small branches and rocks lying on the ground that hindered his way.

The sound of someone approaching reached his ears and he stopped confused. Only to yelp when to hands grabbed him around the middle. He just wanted to use his new claws when he noticed the familiar scent.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked confused. She was sure that she'd locked the apartment before she went for her morning run around the village. "I thought I locked you up safely in my apartment."

Kakashi just grinned back at her, silently begging that she would let him go because the place she was holding him and his hind legs dangling in the air wasn't such a comfortable position. As if she knew what he was thinking she placed him back on the ground and watched him sceptically. Sitting down on his hind legs he stared back up at her, curious what she would do.

She hunched down on her knees as she kneeled down before him, a small smile playing on her lips. "Did you miss me that much?" Her voice held an edge of amusement.

Taking back by her words he turned his head as if he was offended, his back now facing Sakura. His reaction made Sakura laugh softly. "I'm sorry if I harmed your male pride Kashi. Well I was almost done anyways."

She stood back up and started walking towards another part of the forest Kakashi wasn't familiar with. He followed Sakura silently and saw they ended on a small graveyard. Feeling as if he was invading her privacy he stopped at the edge, watching as Sakura made her way to the two stones that looked rather new compared with the other stones surrounding the graves. Then it dawned on him that they were probably on Haruno graveyard as he stared at some names adoring the smooth surface of the grave stones.

Sakura knelt down and caressed the tomb stones of her parents. She was smiling a sad smile as she stared at the names of her parents. She started to talk softly, cleaning the graves from weed. It pained Kakashi to see her this way. She seemed so fragile as if she could break down anytime. And she did partly as her shoulders started to rock gently as soft sobs cracked through her spine. Some tears rolled down her cheek and her hand quickly came up to wipe them away. She sat there for awhile before she finally stood up, brushed with her hands one time over the cold surface before turning around and walking away.

They made back to her apartment, Sakura opening the door silently and let Kakashi walk in. Closing the door she kicked off her shoes before walking in further. She stared at the open window before turning her gaze towards Kakashi.

"Damn you're one crafty fellow Kashi," Sakura shook her head as she walked over to the window to close it and locking it again. Making some coffee in the kitchen and placing a small bowl filled with water for Kashi to drink, she put on her radio as she sat down to work on the files she had from the work that still needed to be done. She stopped briefly to grab some coffee before sitting down, her feet unconsciously dipping on the rhythm of the music.

When it was almost time for another training session with team 7; Sakura quickly dawned her now cold coffee. She walked into the bedroom to change in her normal ninja attire. Wanting to leave the apartment yet again, she stared at the cat with questionable look. He seemed to follow her everywhere and it didn't matter if she locked up or not. Seeing no other solution she decided to bring him along. This time it was rather busy on the streets, people rushing towards work or meeting family.

Kakashi had a hard time keeping up seeing almost everyone nearly stepped on him or his poor tail. Sakura quickly noticing Kashi's difficulty she stopped; turned around to pick up Kakashi and placing him on her shoulder. Holding his right paw with her right hand she smiled a quick smile at him before walking further. She shivered slightly as she felt his tail curl around her neck, tickling her flesh.

Quite grateful with her help he rubbed his head along the side of her jaw to show his thanks. Her response was a quick stroke over his right paw with her index finger. He watched as some people stared at them strangely but it seemed Sakura did not my attention to it. They passed the academy and Sakura waved at Iruka who was busy trying to get everyone in side. He smiled and waved back before returning to his duties.

Finally reaching the red bridge where they always meet up, Sakura sat down on the ground and let go of his paw. He jumped of her shoulder but lay down in her lap, finding that a far more suitable place to lie down. Sakura shook her head as she laughed softly she started to stroke him, earning soft purrs in return. Naruto arrived soon after, greeting his team mate with a short half hug as he placed himself next to Sakura.

"It's going to be just you, me and Teme. Kakashi is sent away on a long term mission."

"Oh, when is he due back?" Sakura asked as she raised a brow confused. As far as she knew Tsunade wasn't planning on sending Kakashi on a mission anytime soon. She shrugged it off that probably something important came up and needed a high skilled ninja like Kakashi.

"Two weeks, maybe more," Naruto answered staring at the silver haired cat. "So how do you like your new roomie?"

"He's quite calm for a street cat and he hasn't pissed my apartment yet, thank god," Sakura sighed. "He always seems to follow me though, wherever I go he follows."

"Maybe he's already used to your presence."

"Can be but quite unusual after such a short amount of time," Sakura pondered. Their conversation was cut short when Sasuke arrived. He nodded his greeting, his gaze lingering on the cat before leaning on the railing.

"So what are we going to do the next two weeks?"

"Training Dobe, what else?"

"Teme! I meant now that Kakashi is gone for two weeks!"

Sakura sighed as the two started bickering again. "Don't mind those two idiots, they do this all the time," she whispered so only the cat would here it. It felt rather stupid to talk to a cat but on the other hand it felt as a relief to have someone listing to you without being interrupted. "The only somewhat normal member of the rest of the team is Kakashi, but he won't be back for a few days so I guess you meet him another time."

Kakashi smiled inwardly, flattered by her compliment. She had no idea how used he was to this. When Sakura finally had enough she carefully placed Kashi on the ground and knocked the two on the head. Kakashi slightly disappointed now the caressing was put to a hold.

"Alright even though Kakashi isn't here we still have to keep training."

"But how? We're an uneven number." Naruto murmured.

"Well…" Sakura started, trying to think of a response in the mean time. "Ah I know; me against you two."

"You're kidding right?"

"Nope." Sakura grinned. "I'll give you guys three minutes before I attack." And with that she vanished from sight.

And surely after three minutes Sakura attacked them. She surely had earned speed and agility with all that training with Tsunade. Sakura smiled secretly as Naruto barely dodged a kick to his stomach. She leaned down her hand resting on the floor behind her as she dodged the attack Sasuke aimed at her. Flipping over a couple of times she threw shurikens in their direction and leaped upon the water; her hands already forming the seals.

"Ninja art, water style, water dragon jutsu!" Naruto jumped out of the way when the dragon came crashing down on them. His hands already forming seals himself as he used shadow clone jutsu. Three more of him appeared and ordered them after Sakura.

She however stopped them with her own clone that was hiding all the while under the bridge for the right time to attack. They kept fighting like that for awhile, Sakura matching up with her team mates. They didn't go full out, knowing Sakura couldn't handle that hard just yet. But she was doing quite fine on her own and Kakashi never imagined Sakura to be that strong. She calculated the next steps of her opponents in a matter of seconds and that was quite impressive. He lay down in the shadow of a tree as he watched his tree students fight, silently proud on them.

They only stopped when Genma suddenly appeared on the scene. Sakura noticing him first; stopped her attack on Naruto and turned around to face the new arrived guest.

"Hey Genma what's up?" Sakura asked, Naruto and Sasuke already slipping up to either side of her. They both still didn't trust Genma quite well with his reputation as lady womanizer and his interests on their pink haired team mate.

"Tsunade-sama wants to see you three in the office."

"Sure thing," Sakura beamed. "We'll be there shortly."

Genma nodded, switching his senbon to the other corner of his mouth before disappearing in a poof smoke. Quickly packing up their stuff and Sakura grabbing Kashi they started to make way to the Hokage tower.

"So have you named the cat yet?" Naruto asked as he stared at his sensei. His smile widened when he caught his former sensei's attention that narrowed his eyes at him with his question.

"Fuffly," Sakura replied calmly and grinned at the reactions of her team mates. Sasuke choked and stumbled, staring at her wide eyed. Naruto started to laugh rather hard, tears streaming down his cheeks. '_Oh man, poor Kakashi._'

Kakashi not enjoying her answer clawed Sakura's bare shoulder. "Ouch!" She glared at the silver hairball sitting on her shoulder. "I was just kiddin Kashi yeesh!"

"Kashi?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing exactly where it came from.

Sakura shrugged. "I couldn't think of any other name."

Reaching the Hokage tower and knocking three times before opening the door, Sakura walked in followed by Sasuke and Naruto.

"You requested our presence Shishou?"

"I did, I have two missions. One for you two," She stared at Naruto and Sasuke. "And one for you."

"All the needed information is contained in these two scrolls. The blue one for Sakura, the red for you two. That's all."

Sasuke walked forward, grabbing both scrolls and handing Sakura her own. He waited at the door for Sakura to walk along but she indicated for them to move along. He shrugged and closed the door. Sakura waited until she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore before turning to the blonde woman sitting before her.

"Something wrong Sakura?"

"No Shishou, I was just wondering, what was the mission you send Kakashi on?"

"Just a simple information tracking in lighting," Tsunade waved it off, but her eyes stared at the cat sitting on Sakura's shoulder and her lips curled in a strange smile. It seems that Naruto had already informed Tsunade about his condition Kakashi guessed, noticing the stare he got from Tsunade.

"Oh alright, well that's all." Sakura smiled and wanted to turn around when Tsunade stopped her.

"Have you thought about the thing I asked you about?" Tsunade asked quickly. "Shizune is happy to sponsor you and even Ibiki thinks you're ready for it.

"I would be honoured to get into the elite ranks. Not to mention the first of team 7 to get into ANBU…" At the word ANBU Kakashi's ear's flicked up. No way was Sakura going into ANBU, not as long he was there to keep her from it. Sure it was an honour to be in the elite ranks, but it was far more than that. One little mistake and it could cost your life and the life of your team mates with heavy consequences. Sure that risk was with every mission but with ANBU ones it was far above average just like the change of getting killed. What was Tsunade thinking of trying to get Sakura into ANBU? Sure she was skilled, but was she really ready for such a high position. And didn't she want Sakura running the hospital at one point?

As if Sakura felt his unease, she started to pet him. He relaxed when he heard the rest of her answer. "But I don't think I'm ready myself yet. And I hate the thought of not being in the same team with Naruto and Sasuke anymore. I only go in when they follow me and are ready to go in. Before that, I'm sorry but Ibiki just have to wait a bit longer." Sakura explained.

Tsunade smiled nodded before waving her off. "I thought so, well hop on. You're also free for the coming weeks from the hospital regarding your new mission. And the meeting later in the hospital has been cancelled."

Curious at her solo mission Sakura nodded before walking out of the office. Opening the scroll she felt the cat on her shoulder move just a slightest bit, his head pushed more forward as if he wanted to read along.

"Hmm, seems I need to substitute for Iruka-san at the academy," Sakura said softly as she scanned the scroll. Rolling the scroll up when she was done, she put in her pouch for later whilst walking out the Hokage tower. Not feeling for a late lunch she wanted to snack something sweet for once before she would visit the pet store to buy the requiring things Kashi would need now he lived with her. She earned after all with all her hard work the past weeks. Without thinking she turned her head slightly to address Kashi.

"What do you think to grab some sweets and do nothing the rest of the day?"

Snacks? Hell yeah! Who knew Kakashi was such a sweet tooth? Sakura watched as Kashi jumped of her shoulder, running into the direction of the sweet shops in the shop district. Sakura laughed at his reaction, following the silver cat that stopped a few time to look if she was still following. But she couldn't help but wonder why the cat seemed to understand everything she said.

_**To be continued…**_


	3. competition

A/N: Thanks for the all the reviews. I'm glad everyone likes it so much. I hope I answered every review and question. If not feel free to PM me at any time. If you want some ideas worked out in this story of this you would like to see you can always tell me ^^, I'm open to (almost) everything. Sorry for the late update, I'm in the middle of my exams weeks and thanks to having a day off tomorrow I had the time to finish this chapter. Don't expect a quick update though but I'll try my best. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 3:**

Sighing and bored to hell Kakashi was lying on the window sill, staring to the outer world. Sakura was away teaching on the academy and wouldn't be back for another hour. He sighed heavily, tilting his head down and stared at the new lock Sakura placed upon the window for his own safety. Tch, more locking him away and letting him die from boredom. What he wouldn't give to go outside or have his beloved books.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. Speaking about his books, we still needed to talk with Naruto about that. And now that Sakura was gone, this was the perfect moment to go away unnoticed. He glared down at the lock that kept him inside. Well that wasn't going to happen. He tried everything to open that stupid thing, but nothing worked. Throwing one last heated glare at the blasted thing that kept him in doors he jumped off the windowsill and walked around in the apartment. There must be something he could do… But before he would go out in another exploration for his freedom, he would drink some water. His throat was pretty dry and all the hairballs he has been coughing up weren't exactly pleasant. And Sakura's not going to like it either. He smirked evilly at that, serves her damn right for locking him up in this dreadful apartment.

Walking into the kitchen he leaned his head down to drink some water, some splashing over the edge and landing upon the tiles. His ears were flicked back as his eyes closed briefly for the short enjoyment of the water now sliding down his throat. He does have to say Sakura took care of him very well; he always got his meals on the right time, affection when he sat down and simply stared at her, waiting for something. She had even bought cat stuff for him and even a scrap pole when he had the need to sharpen his nails. He does have to say it worked surprisingly well and saved one if his now apparent nine lives. Sakura made clear the very first day that if she found one scratch on her stuff he would be a wall decoration. He gulped at the thought and in with that vision in his mind he was careful every time he jumped upon her sofa or other things.

But what bothered him the most was the sadness look in her eyes. Sometimes she would sit in the windowsill whilst holding a cup of coffee in her head and simply stared outside. When she was in that trance it didn't matter what he did, she didn't turn her attention to him and simply kept staring outside. It looked as if she was taken away into another world. He wished he knew how he could help her. But not having his normal voice to talk with her, he only could give her comfort by sitting next to her and letting her know he was there. It was not any different when he was still human though, she didn't talk to him then also.

Pulling away from his bowl of water he walked back into the living room. He tried the front door awhile ago, but the blasted thing wouldn't bulge. And seeing that the door was from wood, he certainly didn't want to try his best if there was a chance that his nails would sink into the wood. If that happened Sakura would have his hide, literally. Pawing the door open from the bathroom he stared at the little window on the opposite wall of him. Jumping upon the toilet seat and on the small towel rack, he climbed up on the small window sill before the window. His eyes twinkled as he saw this lock wasn't replaced yet. Pushing the window open, he felt the brush of air outside.

Now tasting his own freedom he got a bit too eager for his own good. Already trying to get outside he ducked his head under the wooden frame of the window, his front paws already scratching the stones of the outside wall. He tried to push further but his eyes widened in fear when he didn't move any further. Quickly trying to get back, he found out that he couldn't go back either. His eyes widened with realisation and let out a small gasp. This is so not happening to him. He tried to struggle out of the situation, his hind paws pushing against the wall to get back in the apartment. But he didn't move one inch. Trying the other way and pushing the window even further open he found out to his dismay that it didn't work along either. He hung his head down defeated. He was stuck, and there was no way he could get out of this rather embarrassing situation without Sakura knowing. He tried to look at it with the bright side. He got outside, well a part of him then. He sighed and waited until help would arrive, and when Sakura would find him like this. This escape road was gone then either. Not that it helped him that much, bringing him in the situation he was now.

It seemed like a century to him when Sakura finally got home. He heard the door open and keys rumbling as Sakura placed them on the rack. He heard her call him, her tone pissed. His ears flatted against the back of his head as he gulped nervously. The idea of leaving hairballs all over the floor didn't seem so good idea now. Knowing that it could cost him his life if he didn't answer soon he inhaled deeply. Well here it goes… He started to yell her name, and soon after that he heard the bathroom door open even further.

He was surprised at the silence that followed and didn't dare to move. What's wrong? Why didn't he feel her hands around his side to help him out or punishing him for what he'd done to her living room? But his questions were soon answered as a soft giggle reached his ears. The first innocent giggle turned into a chuckle and turned into a full outlet laugh in the end.

Much to his dismay Sakura walked away again and a flash appeared soon after her second arrival. "Sorry Kashi, but I really have to take a picture of this," Sakura grinned. "I swear I won't show it to other cats to keep up your ego." She snickered slightly at the disapproving meow that followed after her answer. "Serves you right though after coughing up hairballs all over the place."

Placing down her camera, she walked over to the small window sill and placed her hands on both sides of the cat. "Don't worry; I'll get you out of this in a wink." Sakura tried to reassure the silver cat.

Kakashi felt a hand slip past him, and soon his eyes were covered by her hand, ducking his head even further. He wanted to protest but after a second it was over; the quick pull Sakura did released him from the uncomfortable prison and already lifted her hand off his head. He was resting in Sakura's arms it seemed as he lifted his head up to look into the smiling face of his former student.

"There, that wasn't so bad now was it?" She smiled at him and carried him back to the living room. "Hope that's a lesson for you to stop trying to sneak away." She let him go and walked back to the hall to grab some cleaning stuff in the closet she had there. Cleaning up disgusting mess Kashi left behind she threw the now dirty washcloths in the bathroom to clean later and walked back to the living room where Kashi was sitting on his favourite spot; the chair close to the heater.

With his million times of trying to escape got her rather disturbed. Didn't Kashi like it here with her? Sure it might be boring in such a lone apartment with nothing to do, but aren't cats liking their laziness as they are lying on the windowsill enjoying the sunbeams caressing their fur? She sighed and turned to the kitchen to make some food. But this cat was different though, she knew it right away since she got him.

He was calm, didn't piss her house under to claim it as his property, he wasn't eating normal cat food or sweets for that matter and he seemed to understand everything she was saying to him. And that was not the weirdest part. He seemed to like dark chocolate cookies, just like her former sensei. It was really creepy how much her new cat and her former sensei were alike. Their appearance, their liking in sweets, the calm behaviour… it made her wonder.

Without noticing she'd zoned off and was placed back on earth when a sharp pitched meow sounded from below. Startled she looked up, and quickly turned out the stove that was already boiling over.

"Just great," Sakura muttered with a hint of annoyance. Her brand new pan was already ruined by her own doing. Not wanting to cook another dinner, she simply settled with take out. As she ordered her dinner she heard a slight knock upon the door that caught her attention. Praying the man on the other line goodbye she made her way towards the door.

"I'm coming already!" Sakura replied when another knock sounded through her apartment, a bit more urgent than before. Opening the front door she stared into the face of her best friend. She quickly stepped back as the blonde marched in, almost knocking the front door against Sakura's forehead in the progress.

"Took you long enough Forehead." She threw her coat over the couch and finally turned around to her pink haired friend who just shut the door; a look of irritation on her face.

"Is there something I can help you with Pig?" Sakura asked with a forced smile. She was just done with the academy and she really didn't want to deal with her over energetic friend right now. All she wanted to do was eat, grade some papers before taking a shower and finally her last stop her comfy bed to sleep for a couple of hours. But is seems the arrival from her best friend was going to threaten her quiet evening.

"Well yes you can, why aren't you changed yet?" her hands now resting on both sides of her hips as she stared at her friend with a look of disapproval. "I told you I got a date tonight…"

"So?" Sakura sighed, walking back into the kitchen and placing her pan into the sink. "If you want my approval of the guy, you got it the last time I met him."

"Thank you Miss obvious, but that's not the reason I'm here," Ino said while following Sakura into the kitchen. "He's bringing a friend along and you're going to be his date."

"Ino…" Sakura sighed heavily and turned around while leaning against the counter of her kitchen. "I already told you, I'm not going to date for awhile."

"Oh please," Ino waved her off. "Enough with that already. It's time you got laid again. God knows how long it's been with those team mates of yours hanging around as personal guardians."

"Ino!" Sakura gasped shocked. "Will you just stop? I'm fine with my life like this. Why can't you accept that?"

"Because I know that deep down you want to come along. And no you're not getting out of this one." With that Ino turned around and tried to walk into her friends' bedroom to raid her closet for a good outfit when she stopped, staring down at the cat that was glaring up back at her.

"Oh!" Ino squealed. "He's cute! I didn't know you've gotten a cat."

"I got him from Naruto and Sasuke," Sakura explained and she walked pasted her friend and tilting Kashi into her arms. "And Ino I really can't go. I still have papers to grade and I'm really tired."

"Nonsense. I told you, you're not getting out of this one." Her blue eyes widened at the aggressive hiss coming out off the cat. With a quick glance at Sakura and back to the cat, she quickly walked around them out of the cat's claws range and made a bee-line towards Sakura's closet. "I'm not going to disappoint his friend. And trust me you're going to like him. And now that you're team mates are all out of town on a mission, you finally can get out on a date."

Sighing defeated Sakura followed Ino into the bedroom, sat down upon her bed and started to pet Kashi as she waited for Ino to show her the perfect dress for tonight. There went her peaceful evening. "Sorry buddy, it seems you're alone this night also," she whispered softly into the cat's ear as she scratched just behind his ears.

She looked up when the bell rang, her food being delivered. Tilting Kashi off her lap and mumbling to into she would be right back, she grabbed some cash to pay the delivery guy. Placing her food on the table she made way towards her cupboards. "Want to eat along Pig?"

"Sure!" Grabbing two plates and setting them upon the wooden surface. She grabbed the small bowl she always for Kashi and placed it on the ground once she was done filling it.

She already was filling their plates when Ino walked in, a big grin plastered upon her face. "I found you the prefect outfit." She sat down and muttered a thanks before she dug in.

"Hmmm." She was playing with her food, only taking a small bite now and then.

Ino noticed it, and a frown appeared upon her face. "Do you really hate it that much to come with me tonight?" She asked softly.

Hearing the sadness in her friends' voice, and not wanting to be a person to ruin somebody's fun, she pulled on a fake smile. "Of course not." It seemed that Ino believed her, since the frown disappeared almost instantly after her answer, her tone going back to normal as she updated Sakura with the newest hot gossip in Konoha.

After dinner Ino pushed Sakura into the bedroom to get ready while she quickly cleaned up the table. She sat down on the sofa when she was done, and waited for Sakura to make her entrance. She watched Sakura's cat carefully as it jumped upon the seat close to the heater. His mismatched eyes were fixed on her, glaring daggers as he did so. She gulped unconsciously and quickly averted her eyes to look at something else. The cat gave her the creeps and he reminded her of Sakura's former sensei Kakashi. Little did she know that is was the same person she was thinking about.

Kakashi however wasn't trilled with Sakura's best friend entrance. She was loud, annoying and ordering Sakura to join her on a date with a guy she barely knew! No one was allowed to date Sakura without Naruto, Sasuke or himself checked the guy out. Sakura was still naïve when it came to love and such, and they had every reason to protect their precious Sakura from unwanted and unsuitable guys. They chased most guys away, and it seemed that the guys finally started to get the message that if they wanted to get Sakura they first needed their approval since less guys tried to ask the pink haired girl out. But is seemed that their protectiveness came to an end now that Ino was dragging Sakura away on a date and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He sat down on the table behind Sakura's couch and listened to the little conversation between the two friends. His eyes widened what Ino suggested and with every second passing he started to dislike Ino more and more. Sakura wasn't a piece of meat! She was a wonderful person and deserved a person that treated her well and not just as a toy he could play with before throwing it away when he got bored with it.

He jumped down of the small table when Ino started to make way to Sakura's bedroom and showed his teeth at the girl when her bright blue eyes settled on him. He didn't get the reaction he wanted though as Ino squealed out of cuteness and didn't cower from fright. He sighed heavily as Sakura tilted him up, but his sadness was gone the second Sakura started to pet him. She really had her way with her hands. Massaging him gently as her fingers ran skilfully over his fur.

And now here he sat on his comfy chair, waiting for Sakura to come out. He wished he could do something to scare the guy away, but there was nothing he could do. Instead he settled with glaring to the person who placed Sakura in this position. The door finally went open, making Kakashi turn his head towards the entrance. That was the first time that he saw his former student in casual clothes, and it looked damn good on her. His heart skipped a beat and hiss mouth fell open slightly at the sight of her.

She was wearing dark-blue colored jeans making her legs look endless, with a dark green sweater hanging lose on her frame letting her eyes come out even more and showing off her collarbones. Her shoes were black with small heels and a small necklace he remembered giving her was hanging around her neck. Even though it weren't really fancy clothes, it looked very good on his little team mate. She looked amazing. She didn't even wear make-up and to him she didn't even need any. She had a beautiful skin of her own and her eyes already entranced you with her spell without knowing.

"Wow Forehead, you look hot."

A small blush appeared on her cheeks, making her look even more beautiful. "Thanks I guess."

Her heels clicked softly as she walked over to her best friend, smiling all the while. "Well is this good enough for the date you're setting me up with?"

"More than enough," Ino grinned and stood up herself. "Well let's go. We only have five more minutes before we're officially late."

Sakura nodded and to Kakashi's surprise walked over towards him, kissing him softly on the top of his head. "Sorry buddy, I'll make it up to you tomorrow." She scratched him affectionately one time behind the ear before she stood up and walked away, grabbing her purse on the way out.

Kakashi looked dazed into the direction Sakura walked off in. '_Wow._'

_**To be continued…**_


	4. date

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you all liked it so much. Here is the full chapter, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 4:**

The door clicked softly closed behind her and that sound finally pulled Kakashi out of his gaze. He shook his head, trying to will the drowsiness away. Man; that was not at all what he'd expected how Sakura would look. She was…well he didn't know how the describe her. If he would be in his normal human form he certainly would have gotten a nosebleed. His heart beat quickened when her lips came in touch with his forehead, and unwillingly he had leaned in closer to get more of the warmth she radiated off.

He could even smell the slight scent of the perfume she was wearing, mingled with the scent of her own. It smelled well, definitely a treat for his nose. Not that she didn't smell good without perfume, she did. How lucky that guy was whom was set up with Sakura tonight. To have such a lovely sight in front of him the whole time and her attention completely devoted to him. To hear her lovely laugh, her green eyes twinkling with amusement when you said something funny, and her well formed lips curling into a smile and revealing her beautiful set of teeth. He slapped his paw in his face. He really needed to stop fussing over her. It was just a crush anyway. But he couldn't deny the itching he felt in his paws, how he would love to sink them into the skin of the man who was now with his Sakura.

He turned his head slightly to the window, glaring at the lock that kept him inside. There was no way to get out and shadow Sakura's little date. The only thing he could do was sit and wait until she got home while she was getting hit upon by another man. He groaned inwardly, why was life always so cruel on him? Making him fall in love with his own student. '_Former student.'_He corrected himself immediately. He growled, why would that even matter? Like Sakura would ever look at him other than a friend, team leader and teacher. She would never see him as a love interest. Sighing defeated he let himself fall flat on his stomach on the comfortable seat, his eyes watching the door and waiting for Sakura to come home.

**xXx**

The street was still a bit crowded when they made their way towards their dates. Ino blabbered the whole time while Sakura simply nodded, acting as if she was listening. But in reality she was thinking back at Kashi. He seemed so angry when Ino told her she was set up on a date. Kashi wasn't hostile towards her or any others she had seen or know of, so why did he hissed and tried to attack Ino? Was it because she was ordering to come to a date? But that was impossible since cats can't understand such things. She sighed; maybe she should have stayed home. He was after all, all alone and he deserved some attention after being locked up in her apartment all day.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Ino yanked at her arm, her blue eyes searching her green ones as she looked at her with slight worry.

"Are you wanted to come? You're not listening to anything I say and-,"

"Of course I wanted to come, don't be an idiot," Sakura waved her off, forcing her thoughts away. She linked her arm with Ino's and put on a bright smile. "So where is the date anyway?"

Ino sighed annoyed. "See?! You didn't listen! I told you just a second ago. It's in the Underground."

Sakura stumbled, staring wide eyed at her friend. "You've got to be kiddin' me! You need a reservation for that to go inside that club," she said in awe.

Ino shrugged, smiling all the way. "I know." She turned her head back towards the street, inwardly laughing at the stunned reaction of her friend. They kept silent the rest of the way, simply enjoying the warmth of a summer evening and each others presence as long as it lasted. When they finally arrived at the club, Sakura noticed two men standing in front of the entrance next to the guards. One she'd recognized as Ino's current boyfriend, Shin Hanozu. He was a son of a well known merchant, he's was tall, broad and definitely well mannered. He had short brown hair and thrown up in messy spikes. His chocolate colored eyes sparkled in the moon light that shown into them. Next to him was probably her date, Sakura guessed. Well he didn't look that bad. He was at least a head taller than her, broad shoulders, baby blue eyes and blond hair pulled back, only two bangs hanging at either side of his face. He had a straight nose, well formed lips, strong jaw line; simply put he wasn't that unattractive.

Shin noticed the two woman's approach and straightened his stand immediately, a smile playing on his lips as his brown eyes locked with the blue ones of his girlfriend. He quickly strode over to them, grabbed Ino's free arm and placed a light kiss on her hand, making Ino giggle. "You look absolutely gorgeous my dear," He smiled at her.

Ino smiled back, released Sakura of their hold and hugged Shin briefly, planting a chase kiss on his lips. Sakura looked at the two with a smile. It wasn't the usual time her best friend would go for, but she decided the two really fit well together. Not everyone could handle Ino's temper and most guys were chased away by that. But not Shin, he even went so far to riddle her up just for fun. In a way he remembered her how Kakashi always would try to ruffle her feathers to get a rise out of her. A picture of her and Kakashi holding hands while enjoying and evening moonwalk stride flashed into her mind. A blush appeared on her cheeks and quickly forced the image out of her head.

What the hell was she thinking? Her and Kakashi being lovers? ´_Nah_, _like that's ever going to happen,_' she snorted in herself. Although she couldn't deny that Kakashi was rather attractive. As a genin she really couldn't understand what woman liked about her sensei. He was always late and had lame excuses and he always was reading his porn. But when the years passed Sakura finally understood why Kakashi was so in their high standards. From the talks she'd heard in the hot springs how he knew his way in bed, made the blush only worse. He was strong, and thanks to all the shinobi training he'd been through he had a fine build body. When being assigned his personal medic, she'd seen a lot of him and she had to agree with the other woman population when they say Kakashi had a hot body. Not to mention a cute ass. Sakura gasped, slapping her hand for her mouth as her eyes widened in shock. She did just not think that her sensei's ass was cute.

She groaned inwardly when her inner self answered her back. She was thinking about her sensei, even more than she was supposed to do. The man always seemed to creep into her thoughts unwillingly. She looked up when a hand touched her shoulder and looked up to meet with the worried glance that Ino gave her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Sakura nodded, lowering her hand from her mouth and moving it towards the back of her neck as she scratched in nervously. "Ye, I'm fine honest. I just forgot to lock the door."

She inwardly hoped that Ino would fall for her little lie. For a moment it seemed she didn't but when she wanted to call her upon it, Shin interrupted her. "Sakura I'd like you to meet my friend," he waved to the man standing awkwardly behind him. "This is Taichi Honaji, Tai this is Sakura I was telling you about."

Taichi stood up next to his friend and gave her a friendly shake with the hand. "Nice to meet you Sakura-san, I've heard a lot about you."

Sakura smiled back. "Likewise although I can't say I've heard a lot about you."

He grinned, telling her that tonight held enough opportunity to get to know him and held out and arm as an invitation to escort her in. Linking her arm with his, the couples made their way towards the entrance. Much to Sakura's surprise the guards let them in without even checking if they were on the guest list. It seemed that Taichi noticed her surprise as he leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"My uncle runs this place."

"You lucky bird," Sakura replied back.

Taichi shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "It's useful sometimes, only if I have a date as beautiful as you."

Sakura blushed at his comment, quickly averting her eyes away from his and let it sweep through the place. There was a DJ standing behind the tables on stage in the middle. In the corner seemed to be booths where you could take a drink and simply talk. There were waiters all over the place serving the drinks and a bar on her left, not far from where she was standing.

"Care to dance?" Taichi asked; his voice barely audible above the loud music. Sakura nodded and let her date guide her towards the dance floor, not knowing to expect what the night would bring her.

He was a very good dancer, Sakura could give him that. After dancing a few songs they sat down in one of the booths. She found out that he was studying to be a civilian doctor. Sakura was surprised how easily she could talk with him about almost everything; they shared the same interest in the medical field, same taste in songs and did not also enjoy very large crowds. He also seemed to have humour; he really made her laugh through the night, his baby blue eyes twinkling in delight when he heard her little laugh.

She had almost wanted to thank Ino to drag her with her tonight. Sakura was sitting in one of the booths, waiting for the drink Taichi was getting for her. Her eyes swept over the dance floor, smiling when she spotted Ino and her boyfriend dancing in the middle. Ino seemed to have felt her gaze as her eyes went from her lover to her. Sakura waved to her with a small smile on her lips. Ino smirked back, suggesting with her hands and pointed then towards Taichi who was still standing by the bar.

Seeing what Ino meant, Sakura flushed bright red from embarrassment. She barely knew the guy! She wasn't going to have sex with him only because they seemed to get along together just fine. She signalled back that she was a pig, earning a laugh from her best friend. Shin seemed to catch on, his head shaking slightly as he chuckled at Ino's attempts to hook Sakura up with Taichi.

After the drinks and some songs Sakura was rather tired and wanted to go home. It was after all already two in the morning and she needed to teach later that day. Taichi understood and offered to walk her home. Hugging her friend goodbye and smiling at Shin the couples parted. Sakura shivered a little from the little breeze that came up and Tachi being the gentlemen he is gave her his jacket.

Finally reaching Sakura's apartment building, he followed her up, leaning against the wall as she joggled with her keys to open the door.

"I had a great time, thank you Taichi," Sakura smiled softly as she opened the door and flipped on the lights. She pulled off the jacket that still rested upon her shoulders and gave it back, their hands brushing against each other.

Taichi smiled back; locking his blue eyes with her green ones. "It was my pleasure to have such a beautiful girl as you at my side tonight. I look forward to see you again, say Saturday night?"

Sakura blushed as he leaned a bit in, not knowing what to say and started to stammer. "I uhm.. I-," He leaned in even closer making the blush even deeper. For a moment he seemed he wanted to kiss her when a possessive hiss sounded from below. He drew back and started down to see a silver cat glaring back up at him.

"Kashi," Sakura gasped out surprised. She threw her purse on the table and quickly leaned down to pick up the cat. He tensed as her arms sneaked around him, pulling him off from the ground and was settled in her arms. He relaxed immediately and pushed his little nose against just below her jaw, letting out a small meow as a greeting before her turned his head and glared at the intruder.

Taichi seemed a bit taken back and quickly made the distance between him and Sakura bigger. He studied the cat suspiciously before he turned his gaze back to the pink haired beauty. "So what do you say?"

"I… maybe, but-," yet again she was cut off from her sentence but not from the cat in her arms this time.

"Great," Taichi smiled. "I'll pick you up at seven." He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek but the threatening hiss coming from her arms he quickly averted his moves to a low bow instead before walking away.

"Bye," Sakura said confused at his sudden departure and closed the door behind her. She scratched Kashi behind his ear as she carried him back to the bedroom and let him down on her bed. He hopped out of her arms and twirled around to sit down on his hind legs, his tail curling up to his side.

Sighing she sat down beside him, pulled off her necklace and lay it down carefully on the low closet before her. "Well Ino got what she hoped for," Sakura sighed softly as she let herself fall back on her bed, staring up at her ceiling. Her eyes got a clouded look in them as she became lost in her own thoughts. Taichi was a good guy so far, but something inside her told her that she needed to stay away from him. But if Ino trusted Taichi so much, maybe she should give him a chance. She hadn't dated for a good long time thanks to her team mates, so maybe her senses were just freaking out because it wasn't how her team mates treated her.

The bond she had with Sasuke and Naruto were like brother and sister. Yes, they loved each other very much, but not in a romantic way and they didn't act that way towards her, unlike Taichi who was hitting on her all night. And Kakashi, well she didn't know what to think what she had with him. When Naruto left the village for three years he went back to ANBU claiming he had no students left to teach. It really had hurt her that he simply left her alone. But on the other side she was very grateful he had done that to her. Otherwise she wouldn't be the kunoichi she was now. She didn't blossom under his care at all; he didn't see her potential with her abnormal chakra control. But Tsunade did, and thanks so her she became what she was. When they crossed each other on the streets there was only a simply hello before they continued their way. But what she didn't see was the back glancing from Kakashi, his eye full of shame and hurt as he watched her walking away. And when Naruto came back they still were a bit distant, but soon they turned into friends, which turned into close friends. But something was different from the bond she shared with him then what she shared with other close friends. But what that was she couldn't quite but her finger on it.

She sighed deeply, her hand moving up to cover her eyes. "You don't know what you're doing to me." It sounded like a mere whisper, but the cat ears picked it up all the same.

_**To be continued…**_


	5. crushed

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad you guys liked it all. I can't say I'm going to update now frequently because my final exams are coming up and I need to focus on them. That doesn't mean I'm not writing and I'll be updating during those times. Thanks once again for your patient for putting up with me. Now, on with the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 5:**

Silently he watched as Sakura sat down on the edge of her bed, gazing into the mirror before she let herself fall down on the bed. He kept his distance, simply observing the woman before him. Her eyes held a clouded look he knew very well. She always got that look when she was lost in thoughts, thinking about things he would never know or figure out.

His tail twitched at his side as he simply waited, his mismatched eyes sliding over her form while she was lying there before him. Her chest rose steadily with her breathing, one of her hands aimlessly resting on her stomach while the other was placed near her head. Her silken like hair was spread around her head; his nose itching to push it against the soft material and smell the heavenly scent of her. His ears twitched as a soft sigh escaped her lips, her body moving a little into a more comfortable position before she lay still again. An image of Sakura moving underneath him appeared in his mind; her face flushed and drawn in a pleasurable expression.

His eyes widened with shock as a low groan escaped his mouth. He really had to stop doing such things. It would only make it harder for him to get over her in the end. It was just a stupid little crush; damn his testosterones! Besides, she was out of his reach now; she was dating that blonde guy. His eyes narrowed as he thought back at the man. Sneaky little rat, there was something he really didn't trust about the guy and if he was in his human form he would have punched him straight away from his precious Sakura. He probably was a player with that sneaky, disgusting little smile on his face. He was…

"You don't know what you do to me…"

…apparently the man Sakura wanted. Shit. He hung his head; his paws clenching and unclenching in the sheets beneath him. It was just a stupid idea anyway. He and Sakura being together could never be. When Naruto would come back he'd ask to be turned human again. It was no use; she already had fallen for somebody else. Why would she fall for him anyway?

He was fourteen years her senior, broken and emotionally weird, read porn books in public and always late. And not to forget he kind of brushed her off in her childhood. He admitted that he could have done a better job at training her. But she wasn't inspired as Sasuke or Naruto, didn't have their stamina; she was just an average girl with abnormal chakra control. It was impressive to see that she was the first one in history to walk on a tree at first attempt. He was a prodigy in his time and it took him three tries before he finally knew how it worked. He should have noticed her potential then; but he kept his attention on the other two instead. And when they were out of the picture he really didn't know what to do so simply rejoined ANBU, totally forgotten the pink haired girl that was under his care. When he came back from an S-class mission two months later when team seven was abandoned he heard the news that the fifth Hokage had a new apprentice she was proud of. When he went into the office to deliver his report, Shizune had sent him away towards the private training grounds where Tsunade was training her apprentice. Quite curious who the mysterious girl was he made his way towards the training grounds only to see the student he had forgotten mashing soiled stone rocks that the fifth was throwing at her. She was already wearing her new attire at that time, her short bangs plastered against the forehead thanks to the sweat of the intense training and the heat of the sun. He never felt so ashamed on that moment and wanted to leave. But something made him stay; watching the pink haired girl train with her Shishou and he could say she really had blossomed under her care; something he was incapable of doing. Feeling embarrassed every time she walked pass; reminding him of his failure he kept away from her. Not wanting to be close with a mistake he had made years ago. But the news still haunted him and soon he heard she became chuunin and was the second best medic of the village, standing directly behind her Shishou. He had even heard rumours that the girl already had surpassed the Slug princess.

He sighed and turned away to go to his favourite spot in her living room. But it seemed Sakura had sensed his depression as propped herself up with her upper arms, watching him carefully. One arm was stretched out to reach him and softly stroked his back.

"Something's bothering you, isn't there Kashi?" She asked softly. She sat up straight, her hands now sliding through his fur. He closed his eyes with a sigh; her hands were so warm and soft; it felt like heaven. How he wished he could tell her how he felt about her, but he doubted she would understand his meowing and hissing. And he didn't want to risk the friendship he had with her. He wanted to make up his mistake what he'd done to her when she was younger. And did it mostly by sparring with the girl and helping her with genjutsu's she'd come up with. But if he would tell her such thing it could destroy the friendship he'd worked so hard for to regain. No; he rather live in her shadows; her not knowing how he felt than not living in her life at all. Even if it meant that she was going out with…he swallowed heavily…going out with that mistakable guy. He shuddered involuntary.

Sakura noticed something was bothering her cat. Maybe it was the encounter he had earlier with Taichi. She must admit she found it rather cute he was so protective of her. But what also worried her greatly was that animals could sense if the person was a good person or a person with bad intentions. So maybe he was trying to warn her. But who should she trust? A cat she barely knew or her best friend who set her up with the guy? She honestly didn't know. But one thing was for sure, she had a bad feeling for Saturday night. Turning her head to look at the time her eyes widened in shock to see it was already four in the morning. Great there went her sleep for today. Maybe she could better grade the papers that was still lying on her table; waiting eagerly to be finished. And she promised the kids that she would have it the day after they made it and she wouldn't break a promise.

With a sigh she kissed Kashi on the top of his head before she let him loose and moved towards the kitchen, flipped the light on and started to make some coffee. She really would need that stuff today is she wanted to survive. Seeing that the water bowl was empty she picked it up to rewash it before she filled it with new water and placed it back on the ground. An approving purr sounded from below and soon after a head rub was giving against her ankle.

"You're welcome," Sakura smiled softly as she kept her concentration on making coffee. She moved away to put on some music which always helped her relax and sat down at the head of the table. Pulling the essays towards her she started to grade, stopped sometimes to refill her cup of coffee or simply scratched Kashi behind the ears as he rested upon her lap. And for the first time she noticed she haven't thought about her parents for one night.

**xXx**

Sakura sighed heavily as she opened the door to her apartment. Tonight would be the night she would go out on a second date with Taichi. She really didn't want to go, but since Ino never have stirred her wrong in this area before; she was willing to give the boy a chance. She smiled as Kashi greeted her and placed the things she bought on the counter. Grabbing a new small plate she placed the dinner she made for him on it before bending low and grabbing the old plate from the ground, replacing it with the new one.

Placing the old one in the sink she started to do dishes while she listened to the smacking sound of her cat enjoying his meal. Unconsciously she began to smile. She lived with the animal for four days now, but still it felt as if she knew him longer than that. She was glad however that Naruto and Sasuke almost ordered her to take the cat. And even though in the beginning she really didn't want to, she was glad she accepted in the end. He was a good companion and always around her when she was home or taking her morning running strides.

Turning off the water she glanced back at the clock and decided to get ready. Drying off her hands she walked towards her room to grab the supplies she needed for the shower. When everything was done and she dressed in a simple dark blue shirtless shirt, the color up and hugging her neck, a golden pattern of the Haruno symbol imprinted on her back and a smaller one just above her left breast. A tad lighter color jeans was covering her legs and instead of the small heels she wore on the first date, she decided on simple sneakers this time. She pulled her hair up in an elegant bum, but still a few bangs of her hair fell out and barely touched her shoulders.

Taking one last glance in the mirror she smiled softly as she noticed the intense stare behind her she got from her sweet cat. She turned half around patted the place beside her and waited until Kashi sat down beside her.

"So do you think I look good enough for tonight?" She smiled softly while her hands started to caress him. A soft purr and the twitch of the tail was her answer. Her smile widened and leaned down so her nose touched his. "Thanks." She nuzzled him when she tilted her head up a little when a small knock was heard on her door. She sighed as she stood up.

"Hey Taichi," Sakura smiled as she opened the door. He was leaning against the doorframe; his arms crossed over his chest nonchalantly. He wore a white undershirt with an open black shirt. His blonde hair was unlike before; instead of pulled back he had it hanging loose. He looked up from under his eyelashes and smiled. "Hey beautiful, ready for tonight?"

Sakura nodded, grabbed her purse and closed the door behind her. He took her out to a cosy restaurant and just like before she could talk with him about everything. After dinner he took her to a game hall. Sakura never had been in one before since she was always so busy to do it before. But she had to say she rather enjoyed it. She laughed as they played several games. When it was getting late and the game hall was near closing time, Taichi took her back home. The sky was already filling up with dark, rainy clouds as they made their way towards her apartment.

But as they were approaching the door, Sakura began to feel at unease. The air around them changed abruptly as they stood before her closed apartment. She opened the door and switched on the lights as she stepped inside. But as she turned around to say goodbye to Taichi her eyes widened in shock when he was standing directly behind her, his eyes half closed as he stared at her. Before she could ask him what he was doing she was pushed against the wall and his lips crashed with hers.

Shocked she froze up. Only when his hands started to wonder to different places she came back to her senses and pushed him away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"What does it look like I'm doing," He growled back and grabbed her wrist harshly to pull her towards him once again. "Stop it, you're hurting me!" Sakura yelled back and tried to pull her hand back.

But what she didn't expect was that his free hand coming up and slammed her against the ground. She groaned as her head collided with the floor, a wave of pain filled her up and her vision went black for a moment. A harsh hiss sounded from the room; a scream soon followed. Tilting her head up, she saw Kashi clawing the intruder; his nails sinking into Taichi's skin.

"Blasted cat." He grabbed the silver furred animal of his back, and threw it hard against the wall.

"NO!"

Stumbling Sakura stood up, her fist already enchanted with chakra when her unconscious reminded her of the rules. No shinobi was allowed to use any chakra related attacks against civilians. Cursing under her breath she released the control of her chakra and simply decked him with a normal fist. Running towards the bathroom she grabbed the emergency kit with held stun prods, from the wall before making her way towards the living room. Taichi was already standing and this time he was carrying a knife; stepping towards her still half stunned cat.

Dropping the kit she raced towards the animal, getting cut by the knife in the progress on her shoulder. She hissed; stumbled but kept standing. Doing the first thing that came up in her mind she ran into the bedroom, kicked the widow open that let to her balcony and took off. There was a big chance that her home would be in ruin when she would come back later but that really didn't matter to her now. She needed to keep Kashi save. As she leaped over the roofs in a random direction she made a mental note to look for a new apartment.

A soft meow grabbed her attention and she looked down to the cat resting in her arms. His mismatched eyes looked at her worryingly. She figured she probably looked bad, for a civilian he could hit rather hard, her jaw still pulsing with pain. Only to add her misery the clouds decided to let go of their cargo and started to rain. She shielded Kashi as well as she could when she quickly took in the surroundings.

She was the farest away from Naruto's apartment, so she couldn't crash there. And she doubted that Sasuke wanted her to use the compound. Kakashi's apartment could be her next option but she never had been there before. So the only solution that was close enough would be… she turned her head towards the direction she avoided for the past year… her parent's home.

She really didn't want to go there, not when she knew her parents wouldn't be there to greet her. The usual warmth and comforting feeling she got when she was close to her parental home was gone and now made place of unease and angst every time she was close. Standing still for a moment she pondered over her choices. Naruto's home and getting soaked more than we already are or a close home you avoided for a year.

A lighting bolt and thunder following pulled her away from her thoughts. Pushing away her fears she quickly ran towards their new shelter. She stopped for the gate and swallowed heavily as she gazed up the empty home before her. Squeezing her eyes shut and willing her unease away she pushed open the black gate and quickly ran towards the porch. Carefully laying Kashi on one of the chair she kneeled down before the doormat and pulled it away to reveal the key. She cringed as the wound protested her movements. Quickly standing up she opened the door and picked up Kashi before she made her way inside. Cobwebs and dust decorated the ceilings and not glancing at any of the stuff that gave her painful memories she walked into the living room.

Placing Kashi on the couch she quickly scanned him over. He was fine except from the small wound he had on his back. Her hand started to glow green as she pushed it against the wound on his back, she kept stroking his front paw as she healed him, not knowing if she was comforting him or herself.

When she was done she stood up and hoped that her parents kept the bandages where she remembered. Finding the small kit on its place she cleaned her cut and bandaged it before she closed the kit with a click. What a night this was turning out to be she sighed. Walking up to grab a couple of towels she tried herself off and changed into the clothes that were still hanging around in here. Walking back to the living room and kneeling down before the couch she started to dry Kashi off. Throwing the now damp towel in the corner she turned around. Only to see a note lying on the low table that grabbed her attention. It was from the hospital. Raising an eyebrow confused she picked up the letter and turned it around, noticing it was already opened before. Turning it back to the front she looked at the date. It was sent the week before her parents went away on a business trip.

She lowered the letter a little as she tried to think if her parents had said anything to her that might explain the letter. But her mind drew blank. She bite her lower her lip as she tried to think of what to do. She really didn't want to know anything just yet; maybe it was horrible news. But on the other hand she wanted to know why her parents visited the hospital without coming to her. Every time something was wrong they would come to her for a healing session. So why didn't they come to her this time?

She sighed as she placed the letter back on the table. Maybe another time. Walking back towards the porch she grabbed two new logs for the fireplace and lit it on with a small fire jutsu Sasuke had taught her. Standing up she accidently stared into the family photo, taken the day before they left. Her heart clenched as she stared into the smiling and laughing faces of her parents. Turning away she stared back at the letter. Maybe the photo held the answer why the letter was sent. Grabbing the photo she stared at her father first. He still looked the same like she remembered him. Nothing was wrong at his appearance. Turning her gaze towards her mother she saw in the first glance that nothing was wrong either.

Confused she lowered the picture and concentrated on the letter. It really didn't make any sense. Making up her mind she grabbed the letter and opened it. Her eyes slit over the lines as she read. At the end her eyes went big, the family picture she still held in her hand falling from her grasp and falling on the ground. The glass lay scattered over the floor; the picture fallen from the frame, the letter she read a few seconds ago lying nearby.

Her hands were trembling as she sunk to the ground, not caring that the glass was poking her legs. Tears streamed down her face as she stared numb at the picture towards her mother stomach. Now she finally noticed it what she didn't see at first. Her mother always had a slender figure but now she held a bit more round than usual. Her mother was pregnant. She was going to be a sister.

_**To be continued…**_


	6. comfort

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys, it really cheers me up. Special thanks to my dear friend and beta V (I'm glad that the stupid email problem is finally cleared up!) 'hugs'. Sorry for a longer wait but seeing the final exams practically knocking on my doorstep it's going to go slow. Hope you have the patience to bare it through and I deeply apologize in adavance.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 6****:**

Kashi was slumbering on his favourite spot, his eyes slowly closing as he shifted off to sleep. It didn't seem long since he fell asleep before the door opened and roused him from his sleep. He blinked sleepily and tilted his head up a little. The jingling of keys and the soft voice of Sakura filling the darkened apartment reached his ears and he smiled. She'd got home safe. He lay his head back down on the pillow when his ears twitched and he heard the voice of Sakura's date. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He really couldn't stand the guy. He sighed heavily and tried to go back to sleep when Sakura started to raise her voice.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The man mumbled something back, something he couldn't quite hear. He sat back down on his seat, his ears strained to hear what was happening and if Sakura needed his help. Suddenly a crash followed and that was enough warning for him. He jumped off his seat and made his way to Sakura. He was just in time to see Sakura being slammed against the ground. A wave of anger washed over him and before he knew what he was doing he launched himself at the guy. With his claws extended he sunk them into his skin. The pain filled scream was music to his ears and only encouraged him to sink his nails into his flesh further.

"Blasted cat!" He yelped when a hand forcefully grabbed his skin and yanked him off his victim. He was thrown against the wall and felt something collide with him along the way. His vision became black temporarily and he thought he had heard the worried scream of Sakura. He didn't know what happened just after that but he could still remember the feeling of Sakura's arms sliding around his middle and carefully picking him up. He also remembered that something warm and sticky was coating a bit of his silvery fur; only later on did he learn that he'd been wounded and it was his own blood that he had felt.

Cold wind whipped against his side and blinking his eyes a few times he saw Sakura had carried him outside. She was leaping over the roofs towards a random direction he guessed when he saw the clouded look in her eyes. He shivered slightly but tried not to burden Sakura any further than he already was doing. Tilting up his head he felt the first cold drop of water touching his nose and groaned inwardly. It seemed that the terrible night had just got worse. It started slowly but as the minutes passed the rain started to harden and soon they were drenched to the bone. It even started to storm and Sakura made a poor attempt to shield him from the water, but seeing she was not wearing much herself she couldn't protect him much and he didn't want her to get sick because of him.

Suddenly she stopped running and finally started to look at her surroundings. With a glance he knew where they were. It was not far from his apartment but seeing his former students had never come there before, he doubted that Sakura knew where his apartment was. But that only left two houses that were nearby where they could shield themselves from the rain. She seemed to ponder as to where to go but after a few minutes she straightened up and started to run into the direction he thought she would try to avoid, even if it meant a fight with the last Uchiha.

They stopped before the black gates and he could already see the darkened house that had haunted Sakura's nightmares for the past half year. He felt bad that she needed to come here for their own protection and she looked like she really didn't want to go in there just yet. He fully understood her behaviour and he hated it that she was now forced to go to the house she had tried to avoid so badly. They stood by the gates a bit as Sakura tried to pull her courage together and finally she pushed the gate open.

She laid him down carefully on one of the chairs still standing on the porch. Only when she turned around he could see her blouse redden with the color of her blood slowly flowing out of her wound. He had thought he was the only one that was wounded and his jaw tightened when he saw her cringe as she bowed down to grab the key from under the doormat. The man that did this would surely pay; he would see to that.

She pulled the door open and dropped the key into one of the pockets on her jeans. She moved towards him once again and carried him inside. He could feel how tense she was walking through her old childhood home. She placed him on the couch and kneeled down before him. She started to check him over and soon he felt the familiar flow of her chakra entering his veins as her free hand caressed his paw for comfort. He closed his eyes with a sigh as the feeling swept over him. The moment ended when she stopped pouring her chakra into him and walked away. She came back with a couple of towels and started to dry him off and for the third time he was glad cats couldn't blush. The places where she stroked him left him all tingly inside. He opened his eyes to see Sakura had already changed into some of her old clothes it seemed. And as if to make the matter worse it seemed they probably from her mother as her old genin clothes could never fit the figure she had now. She wasn't same fragile, small child anymore. Instead she had blossomed into a beautiful flower and filled in, in the right places. But not too much; she was just perfect.

Something seemed to catch her attention as she looked at the letter resting on the low coffee table standing in the middle of the room. She picked it up and turned it around and for awhile she simply stared at it. She placed it back on the table and walked away and came back a few minutes later carrying two logs for the fireplace. She lit it with a small fire jutsu. As she stood up she suddenly froze. Tilting his head up to see what was wrong he saw her staring at a family picture. His heart clenched with sympathy for the girl. She really didn't deserve to be going through all this alone. He'd wanted to be there for her when she was finally ready to go back to her old childhood home and now in a way he is. But not in the way he had wanted and Sakura wasn't quite ready to face this yet.

Abruptly she turned her head to the letter and you could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She looked back at the picture as she picked it up, studying her parents features as if something was wrong, something that could connect the picture to the letter from the hospital. She lowered the frame that held the photo as she glanced back at the letter lying there, holding an answer to at least some of her questions. She finally decided to read the letter and opened it. His eyes widened with shock as he saw the frame falling out of her hands, the glass scattering over the floor; the picture falling out of the frame. The letter she was holding in her hands found its way on the ground, not far away from the picture itself. He turned his shocked gaze towards her and saw her hands trembling, her emerald eyes widened with shock and disbelief as tears started to leak out of her eyes. She sank to the ground and didn't seem to care that the broken glass from the frame was digging into her flesh.

The sudden change of her behaviour shocked him greatly and leaped of the couch to see what stood in the letter. He pawed the letter and when he finally got the damned piece of paper turned around he quickly read the lines. His eyes widened in shock at the last sentence and turned around at his former pink haired student. This must be such a blow to her; finding out her mother was pregnant again before her death, he really felt bad for her. He made his way to the parallelized girl and started to rub his head against her knee, making soft meows to comfort her. But she didn't react at all; she only stared at the family picture before her as fresh tears rolled down over her cheeks.

Sakura didn't say anything as she stared numb with shock at the picture. She didn't even notice that her cat was now at her side, giving her head rubs as he was trying to comfort her. How could she miss something so important? Why hadn't her parents told her anything? Sure she wasn't much around the past year but her trip to Suna for medical research kept her away for a long time and not to mention the missions she went frequently on with Team 7. It wasn't that she avoided them, the day she would get the news she was to leave for a mission or come back from one the first thing she did was to visit her parents.

Her heart clenched painfully as another hot tear rolled down her cheeks. How could she not have noticed? The tiny life inside her mother's womb that was going to be her little sister or brother hadn't even got the chance to be welcomed here on earth; taste the sweet fruits of life. She sobbed. Before she could even greet him or her, she already failed at being a good sister. Her hand curled into a fist and slammed it into the ground as her mouth opened in a snarl. Why was life treating her so badly? What had she done to deserve such pain? Something warm was starting to slide past her fingers but she paid no attention to it. All she could think of was the younger sibling she could have had. Another Haruno that was lost, leaving her alone.

Something wet swept against her cheek and snapped her out of her frozen state. Only then did she notice another weight on her lap as the hind paws were resting on her upper legs and his front paws on her right shoulder. His head was lilted back so he could look better into her face and the wetness that she'd had felt was the small lick of his tongue running over her cheek as a sign of comfort. Her eyes shifted from the picture to the mismatched eyes that looked up at her with worry. They simply stared at each other while her breathing turned from erratic to back to normal. Somehow the presence of her cat made her feel a lot better; just like Kakashi had done the day she had found out her parents were killed. She remembered that she clung to him with all her might as she cried. His strong arms wrapped around her protectively, letting her know she wasn't alone in this.

She leaned back, her back hitting the stone wall of the fire place as she rested against it. Her form didn't shake with sobs anymore, her tears were already dried and her eyes stared numbly ahead of her. The only sound now filling the empty house was the crackle of the fire and the rain drops connecting with the roof and the windows. The hand that she first curled up in a fist was now flat and stained with blood just like the few shattered glass pieces that pierced her skin that has caused her to bleed. The cat that sat on her lap was still looking at her sceptically, not really knowing what he could do.

The undamaged hand was resting on his back, but not moving in the slightest. A simple touch was enough comfort for the salmon haired girl. It let her know that she wasn't alone, even if it was only her cat that was with her.

They didn't move all night and Sakura didn't close an eye. It was as if she slipped into a trance she couldn't come out of. The storm of yesterday night had already passed and made way for the chirping sounds of birds. The first rays of the sun touched the sleeping village, slowly awakening it from their sleep and telling the villagers that another day had come.

Sakura didn't know how long she sat there, simply staring before a poof smoke appeared in front of her. She tilted her head slightly down, staring at the newcomer that was watching her with worry. She knew she looked awful and that was also how she felt. The animal sitting before her was very familiar to her since it was one of the small slugs Tsunade always summoned to call her to her office, for a meeting or another training session.

"Sakura-chan, what happened to you?" The slug spoke out horrified as she watched the apprentice of her mistress. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hand and knees were bloodied and her eyes were dull, lifeless. The girl didn't reply to her question and knowing that she wouldn't answer soon she poofed back to make her way towards her summoner; knowing she could help the devastated girl much better than she could.

Sakura stared dully as the smoke vanished into the air around her before she moved her head further down and stared at the animal still resting in her lap. He hadn't moved an inch since he'd first rested there. She forced the hand that still lay upon his back to move and slowly stared to caress him. The cat tensed slightly at her movement but relaxed almost immediately. He titled his head up slight to look into her emerald eyes, only to find them still a bit red and swollen from the crying she had done last night.

A knock sounded at the door rather urgent sounding. Sakura didn't move however as if she seemed deaf to any noise around her. The cat twitched, his ears flicking up slightly as he caught the sound of the knocking and turned his head towards the sound.

"Sakura open up! I know you're in there!"

Kakashi turned his head from the entrance of the living room back to the girl. She hadn't moved an inch to comply with the order her Shishou had just given her. She simply stared down at him while her hand slowly caressed him. It seemed that Tsunade wasn't in a good mood as a loud crack sounded soon after her demand. Footsteps could be heard moving over the stone laid floor in the hall as Tsunade made her way towards her apprentice. As she turned the corner Kakashi could see the anger in her eyes. Her mouth opened as she wanted to shout at the girl for her behaviour when her eyes widened and no sound escaped her lips. All the anger in her eyes seemed to vanish and was replaced by worry.

"Dear god what happened to you?" She didn't receive any reply however. She turned her gaze towards the silvery cat sitting on her lap, their eyes meeting. The first one to pull away was Kashi and let his gaze fall upon the letter lying on the ground before he turned his head back to blond haired woman standing in the opening.

Tsunade watched as Kakashi turned his head to the letter and back to her. Understanding what he was trying to say she made her way towards the letter and started to read. Her eyes widened slightly before she looked at the fragile woman lying against the fire place. Her eyes saw the shattered glass beneath her apprentice, the blood stains decorating the floor and one of her hands.

She carefully made her way towards her apprentice, the glass under her feet cracking as she stepped on it. She kneeled down and tilted Sakura's head up with a push of her finger that she'd placed under her chin. Sakura didn't resist and simply stared into the worrying depths of her mentor. She felt a warm sensation starting to flow into her skin and knew that Tsunade was checking her. Even when she removed her finger from her temple, Sakura kept her gaze on the honey eyes of Tsunade; waiting to see what was going to be her next move.

The cat still sitting in her lap leapt off leaving the two women alone as he went to sit on the window sill, trying to give them a bit of privacy. He didn't want to disturb them at all and he wasn't really that good with sentimental things. When the first tear started to roll down her cheeks when she'd found out her parents were killed; he was at loss as to what he needed to do. It was a long time since he'd had to deal with a weeping woman and still then he didn't really know what he had to do. So the only thing that came to mind was to hug her; trying to let her know that he would be there for her even though he didn't know what he was doing.

Sakura felt the weight on her lap lighten as the cat moved away. And before she knew it two arms wrapped around her, and pushed her against a warm body that was comforting her. One of her hands found its way into her hair and started to stroke it gently as the other wrapped itself around her waist. She didn't know why but the embrace she'd got from her mentor caused the waterworks start again. She grabbed hold of her Shishou and pressed her face against her shoulder as she cried her heart out. She heard the soft voice of her Shishou in her ear as she tried to shush her.

"Why didn't I notice it sooner? I should have known something important was going on." Her voice cracked and was cut off a few times through her sobs and inhales of air.

"You couldn't have known Sakura; you were away on a mission."

"I failed them Shishou; I should have been there."

"Stop blaming yourself. You were doing your job, they know that."

"But still why didn't they told me? Was I really that bad of a daughter?"

"Don't even think that way," Tsunade scowled. "You could always hear the pride in their voices when the spoke of you so don't even start to think that they hated you."

"Then why?" Sakura sobbed. "Why didn't they come to me?"

Tsunade sighed. She honestly didn't know why they would keep something that big from her. The only thing she could think of was that they wanted to surprise her or wanted to be sure that it survived before telling Sakura that she was going to be a sister.

"I don't know Sakura, maybe because they wanted to surprise you. And the first trimester is always uncertain so they probably wanted to wait until they were sure it would survive."

"But why not come to me for a check-up?" She'd almost stopped crying. Only a few tears every five minutes rolled down her cheeks and her body slowly stopped shaking as it went back to the relaxed form she always had.

"Probably because if something went wrong in the first trimester; they didn't want you to blame yourself Sakura. They knew you would take it personally even if it couldn't be helped."

Tsunade stopped stroking her hair and kissed her lightly on the crown of her head. "Now let's get you patched up shall we?"

Sakura nodded and let her Shishou go. She slowly got up and winced as her muscles started to cramp. She ignored it though and watched as her Shishou walk towards to front door to get out of here. Sakura wanted to follow but stopped momentarily as she thought of Kashi. She turned around and looked at the cat still sitting on the window sill, looking at her with a cocked head. She smiled softly and opened her arms. Kashi jumped off his seat straight into Sakura's arms and together they walked out of the house. And for some reason she didn't find it so horrible anymore. Not when there was a silvery cat that now rested in her arms with her.

_**To be continued…**_


	7. caught

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews/alerts/favs, I'm glad you guys like it so much. I hope i answered everyone back. There is a chance that there won't be another update for the upcoming three weeks. Maybe there is but i can't promise anything. Thank you for your patience with me. I don't like this chapter so much.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 7:**

Sakura held back a wince when Tsunade pulled out another piece of glass out of her skin with a little more force than was needed. She couldn't blame her though and kept silent as she kept pulling out pieces of glasses out of her skin. She noticed that a scowl adored her Shishou's face since she told her what happened the night before. She expected a lecture from the blond but instead she got the silent treatment. And that was much worse. She would have rather listened to how her Shishou would scowl at her, yelling and screaming how stupid she'd been. But instead she only got an angry look without much of a word. She honestly didn't know why she left the apartment abruptly. At the time she thought it was the right decision. She didn't really care much about her stuff. It didn't hold so much meaning to her. Only two things were important to her and that was the pictures of her family and friends and her katana sword locked up in her closet, it was passed on to every generation of her clan, the symbol imprinted on the hilt. Even though her parents were well-known merchants, her grandparents and many before them had been shinobi. Her grandfather was than also delighted ot hear that his only grandchild decided to become a ninja. It wasn't that he wasn't proud of his own son, he was. But he had been disappointed that he didn't follow his footsteps. Sakura remembered the big smile on her grandfather's face when she announced that she wanted to become a shinobi. He'd already showed her some tricks and passed away as a happy man.

Sakura snapped back in reality when a yell of her name caught her attention. She looked up into the furious eyes of her mentor and gulped nervously. "I'm sorry Shishou, I was lost in thoughts. Could you repeat that please?" She tilted her head down a little, letting her know that she really regretted not having heard her question.

The hardened look softened a little as Tsunade sat down on the edge of her desk. "I said if you want me to arrange new apartment for you?" She crossed her arms as she stared down at the silent pink haired woman before her.

"That won't be necessarily Shishou," Sakura said softly as she stood up, stretching her hand carefully; her skin still a bit soar. "I doubt it if he comes near by me again. If the boys ever hear this happened he has to run for his life."

Tsunade snorted. "If that's what you want. But remember that the offer still stands. I don't even understand why you life in that cot of yours when I know you can afford something much better than that."

"My parents gave that one to me when I moved out," Sakura replied quietly. The honey colored eyes widened with shock and remorse of the comment she made seconds ago. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, it's time to move on about it. It's going to be hard but I'll manage. At least I hope so," She added silently. She moved towards the door and already turned the knob to open the door slightly. "Thanks for everything Shishou, for coming to look for me and all."

"You're quite welcome Sakura," Tsunade replied as she looked upon the girl she saw as her own daughter. "Just know I'll be here for you if you need someone."

Sakura smiled before opening the door further and moved out of the room, the door softly clicking closed behind her. She stared down at the silver furr ball sitting next to her feet. The mismatched eyes blinking once as they stared up at her. She smiled as she started to walk forward. "Lets go check our home, I'm sure he left some of it in pieces." She chuckled softly. Tsunade was right about one thing. She had enough money if she needed new furniture and stuff. Now that she was jounin and member of Team Kakashi that got requested frequently she already had a large back account. And it was only added with the job she had by the hospital, one of the best paid medics and not to mention her heritage when her parents died. So if anything was broken it wasn't really a big of a deal. She only hoped that her pictures and the katana would be alright.

She waved at some of the students she came across on the street, who eagerly were weaving at her. She smiled softly as some ran up to her for a little chit chat. Some looking at her cat with curiosity and some ever dared to pet him. Sakura didn't mind it once and actually made her feel a lot better than she'd felt when the day began. When she finally reached the flat where she lived. As far she could see of her apartment the window was still open from where she'd escaped the night before. Not having her keys with her, she grabbed Kashi and quickly leaped onto her balcony. She pushed the window a bit more open as she balanced Kashi with one arm before quickly pushed him inside. She entered quickly after him and began to check her surroundings.

Her chairs were thrown over the floor just like some reports she'd been working on. The couch was shred in pieces, clearly by the dagger Taichi had with him when he stabbed her. She walked towards the kitchen and saw that her some draws were pulled open, knives and forks littered over the floor. She sighed softly and turned towards the bedroom. She pushed the door open and saw that her sheets were thrown of her bed. Her pillows were thrown somewhere in a corner and the mattress was pushed aside, half resting on the floor. The draws were also pushed open. She quickly turned her gaze to the night stand next to her bed and saw to her relief that her pictures were unharmed. Walking to the other side of the room she grabbed the key that was already in the slot and turned it. Opening the door she saw to her relief that also the family sword was still on its place. She carefully pulled it out of the closet and let her fingers glide of the saya. The springs on her bed groaned as Kashi jumped upon it. She turned around and smiled as she saw the stare Kashi gave the weapon in her hands. "He's beautiful, isn't he?"

She sat down on the edge and carefully pulled out the blade. "It's being passed on from generation to generation. It belonged to my great, great, great grandfather, who made the katana himself. He wanted something as symbol for the strength of his family. He was known as the Shadow Blade of Konoha. It probably won't say anything to you but he was one of the best ninja's of the village. When he died he passed it on to his son and it became an tradition in our family." She smiled and pushed the blade back into his sheath and placed it back in the holder she build into her closet. "My father was the first one in our family to decide to become an civilian instead of a ninja. So when I graduated from the academy he gave me the katana as graduation present. I always wanted to learn to master sword fighting but I didn't dare to ask Kakashi-sensei for training. He probably would wave it off and concentrate further on the boys." She sighed as she closed the door and turned around, her eyes a bit saddened. She didn't know why she talked to her cat, but it simply felt right to talk with him. As if she already had done that for ages.

She didn't notice the painful look in Kashi's eyes as she mentioned Kakashi and strode back into the living room. She quickly made some seals and a clone soon appeared. She started to clean up her apartment; all the while checking if she didn't miss anything. When everything was done she decided to eat something quick before shopping for a new couch and front door. Luckily for her nothing was missing from her apartment. He probably went into drunken rage and trenched her apartment with all his might before he left the building. She made a mental note to make new copies of the keys for the boys as they frequently visited her apartment when she was on her shift or simply to hang out.

Quickly making something to eat she gave Kashi the half of her sandwich before she grabbed her purse with her wallet and keys in it. She checked if the windows were closed before she and Kashi went out for some shopping.

**xXx**

When Sakura came home she already had sensed the chakra signature of her friend. She didn't really want to talk with her after she'd coupled her with such a bastard, but she knew that Ino would already know what had happened so sooner or later she would have been confronted by her about this ordeal. She sighed inwardly and started to walk a bit slower up the stairs than she used too; trying to delay the upcoming conversation. When she reached the front door she took her time to pull out her keys, but when she finally got them and found the right key for the front door Ino already had grown impatient and pulled the door open. Sakura blinked unfazed by her action and grabbed the bag of groceries from the ground before sliding past her best friend into the kitchen. Not greeting her best friend in any way.

Ino already has suspected Sakura would act that way and made sure the cat was in the apartment before she closed the door. She didn't want another reason for Sakura to be mad at her. She sighed as she looked at Sakura who was setting away the things she'd bought. She moved towards the kitchen and helped her out, no words spoken between them yet.

When they were finally done Sakura went to make tea, still not looking at the blond leaning against the dining table. Ino sighed and fetched with her sweater between her fingers. She really couldn't stand the silence between them. When Sakura was done she finally turned around to regard her friend, but the look of disappointment was very clear on her face, making Ino want to scream and beg for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry Sakura! I honestly didn't know he would do such a thing. Shin said he was a good guy but…"

Sakura held up her hand to stop her friend from babbling. "It's okay Ino. I know you never wanted this to happen."

Ino let go off her sweater and sighed. "I'm still sorry. Shin too by the way. I already went to his apartment and beated him to pulp when I heard what happened."

Sakura snickered. "He dissevered so much. But if the 'boys' will hear it, he's gonna' die. And that he doesn't deserve that. He's an asshole and I never want to see him again but I don't wish anyone the wrath of those three upon them. That's just too cruel."

Ino snorted. "He has it coming for treating you that way. Besides me and Shin are buying you new furniture. See it as an apology gift."

"But I-,"

"No buts on this Forehead, we already found a perfect set for you. You so going to love it!"

Sakura sighed but smiled all the while. "Thanks Pig, but I wanted to say I already bought something. But it's going to be delivered tomorrow but I can still cancel it if you want," she quickly added as she saw the dissapointed look on Ino's face.

Ino nodded and grabbed the water heater as the light went off as signal that the water was at the right temperature. "I'd like that. So does this mean we're cool?"

Sakura nodded and grabbed her cup of tea when Ino was done and clinked their cups against each other before taking a small sip. "We're cool."

And as promised the set Ino and Shin had bought for her came in later that evening, Shin personally helping with getting ride off the old one. Ino had made dinner and pushed Sakura out of the kitchen so she didn't do anything. They stayed for awhile before they went back home. Sakura smiled and hugged her friend as Shin apologized once again.

She sighed when she closed the door finally and turned to sit on her new couch. She had to admit she was a bit worried, but Ino was right. It was a corner couch and damn it was so soft you could simply see it as a bed and fall asleep on it. She was sure that Kashi would like it, now that she placed the loose chairs, aka his favourite laying place, in her basement for more room for the couch. She just hoped he would forgive her for that.

**xXx**

Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he saw the damage done to her apartment. His claws itching to sink into the prey he had in mind whom had done this. He saw Sakura vanish into the bedroom and decided to follow her. She was standing in front of a closet, holding a long katana in her hands. She turned around when she heard him jumping on the bed and smiled softly. But the words coming out of her mouth especially the last line hurt him deeply. He really had failed her didn't he? It even came to a point she didn't dare to ask him anything anymore, afraid for rejection.

The rest of the week went perfectly and even though his favourite chair had been removed, the couch really felt good. The corner was it favourite place to lie down, why he did not know. Maybe because he then had a good view of the apartment and Sakura working in either the bedroom or kitchen without moving from his place.

The day arrived soon when Naruto and Sasuke returned. Sakura greeted them both at the gates with a hug, a smile adoring her features as she looked at them. Naruto and Sakura immediately started to chat while Sasuke watched the other two silently and joined in sometimes with a soft grunt or hn.

They went to Sakura's place and as Sakura were in the kitchen, Naruto finally turned towards the silvery cat sitting in front of him. And spoke in hushed, soft tones.

"So do you think you have had enough time with Sakura to be changed back?"

Kashi nodded. "But first I want to know what happened to my Icha Icha book I carried when I was turned."

"Heesh Sensei, is that really what you all can think about?" Naruto sighed. He bit back a laugh as the mismatched eyes narrowed at his reply. "Don't worry; I placed it back in your apartment while you were unconscious. I couldn't keep it in my place, Hinata or Sakura would kill me if they ever found it in my place."

"It better be," Kakashi muttered. "Because if any harm has came to them, you'll be the first one I'd chase down."

"Yee, thanks Sensei. I feel so much better." Naruto replied with sarcasm. "Do you think you can sneak out of the apartment?"

"Ye, if you open that damn slot on the window. With the paws I have I can't open the damned thing."

"Sure thing."

Naruto sat back down on the couch just in time when Sakura walked back into the living room. "Dinner is served," She grinned happily as she handed both of them a plate.

"Thanks," Naruto and Sasuke muttered in unison before they started to eat.

They talked about Sakura's new furniture, she told them everything except who the bastard was and slowly their topic was on their mission. Naruto almost stepped upon Kashi as he acted some things out. Sakura smiled and chuckled as Kashi dove onto the couch behind her for safety.

"Watch out Dobe."

"Jealous Teme that I took out more enemies than you?"

"As if Dobe."

"Teme!"

"Dobe."

Sakura sighed as the two continued to bicker. She placed her half eaten plate before Kashi before she flicked up her sleeves before slapping both of the guys against the back of their heads. "Guys would you just stop it!"

"Sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled apologetically before he sat down again and quietly finished his dinner.

She cleaned up the plates with the help of Sasuke and didn't notice that Naruto opened the lock on the window. He leaned towards Kakashi quickly afterwards and whispered in his ear where they should meet at what time. After the dishes were done she was bear hugged by Naruto as he thanked her for the dinner.

Sakura smiled as she let the two out before turning back towards her bedroom for well deserved sleep. She awoke at some scratching at the window before it went silent once again. She narrowed her eyes slightly and looked to the side where Kashi used to lie. When she noticed his place was empty she swung the sheets off of her and quickly flicked the light on.

There wasn't any trace of her cat in her apartment and then she saw the open window in her living room. She sighed annoyed and went into her bedroom to pull on some pants before pushing the window in the living room further open to follow her cat. She opened her senses on full alert and saw the little paw prints in the dirt going in the direction of the training grounds.

She sighed deeply before she started to make her way towards the training grounds. But as she neared the area, she noticed to familiar chakra signals in the training ground were they trained frequently. Wanting to know what they were doing, she blocked her chakra signal and sneaked into the bushes. She could see the outlining of her team mates and saw the silvery bushy tail of her cat. She raised an eyebrow confused, wondering what they were doing when she heard Naruto speak.

"Well I have to scroll somewhere." An annoying hiss came from the cat at his feet while Sasuke rolled his eyes annoyed. "Dobe."

"Teme!"

"Dobe."

A loud meow stopped the two bickering and a triumph yell off Naruto followed soon after. "Ah got it. So Sensei ready to be human again?"

Sakura's eyes widened and gasped as the cat she'd saw as her own pet transformed back into the man she knew as her sensei. All the weird things she found strange of her cat now finally made sense. She stepped back and accidently stepped onto a twig that broke under her weight.

The sound caught their attention and Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw a flas of pink.

"Sakura…"

_**To be continued…**_


	8. revenge

A/N: I'm so sorry guys. I haven't been updating for awhile. Had a major writing block that didn't seem to have an end. I stared hours at the blank page and nothing came up. Sorry if it's so short, but at least it something. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, I'm glad you guys like it. This is not checked yet as my beta is going through a hard time, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes I made. It's not my first language and having dyslexia doesn't help either. Anyways, it's not my best work but have a fun read and I'll try to update more frequently.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 8:**

Sakura stared, her eyes full disbelief and betrayal. As Kakashi moved to step towards her, she jumped backwards shaking her head as her eyes narrowed in anger. How dare he do that to her! She thought he was her best friend and now she finds out that he was spying on her. Flashbacks flashed into her mind where she would simply sit and talk with Kashi, or rather Kakashi now.

"Sakura I'm sorry." Sakura simply shook her head as she moved further away from them.

Naruto and Sasuke turned around as the name of Sakura rang into their ears. Shocked they stared at the pink haired teammate. They didn't even sense her there. Naruto's usual blue bright eyes were darkened by pain as he saw the feelings Sakura were feeling right now. He went to move towards her, but her voice stopped him dead in tracks.

"Stay away from me… all of you!" Sakura yelled back in fury. With that she disappeared in a wave of Sakura petals, twirling around before slowly falling on the ground again.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," Naruto said as he stared sadly too the spot Sakura stood moments ago. Sasuke shrugged, trying to appear unaffected. But deep down he felt guilt for deceiving his team mate this way. His eyes slid over to the man who hadn't said anything after his apology. His lone eye that locked first on the spot Sakura was standing was now dull and filled with pain, staring at his feet. His eyebrow furred as if he was deep in thoughts or in pain, and in reality he wasn't far off. He was in pain, emotionally. He finally expected his feelings for the girl and before he even had the chance to act upon them, she was already out of his reach by his own stupid actions. He should have never listened to Sasuke and Naruto. It only got him into trouble. She hated him now.

"She will come around, Sakura's not a person to hold a grudge for long," Sasuke said and turned around, ready to go home and sleep this terrible headache of he'd gotten.

"Teme!" Naruto yelled, his anger fuelling at his indifference. "Don't you care that Sakura has been hurt by us? For all we know she won't ever talk to us or worse! Change teams!"

Sasuke snorted. "She won't do that, and even Tsunade won't let that happen. The four of us can complete missions no other team can because we work together so well. There's no chance she would give that up." But deep down he started to worry himself as he turned away and started to walk back home. She wouldn't do such a dramatic thing would she?

**xXx**

Sakura appeared back in her own living room. She stopped a moment to let her emerald eyes adjudge to the darkness before she moved into the bedroom. She flipped the light on and quickly dropped down on her knees when she reached the edge of her bed. She bent down to her waist and pulled out a bag. Standing up and placing the bag onto the bed she grabbed a few clothes and placed it in bag. Making sure the seals on the door that kept her treasures save were on alert she grabbed the bag and flipped the light off. Jumping out of her window she used her own balcony to jump onto the roof of her flat. Staring into the direction of the Hokage tower she noticed there was still light in the office of her Shishou.

Making up her mind she started to leap over the roofs into the direction of her Shishou, the only one she felt that could be trusted at the moment.

As she leaped over the roof tops she really couldn't believe that the ones she saw as family could hurt her so much. How could they? Her lips draw back into a thin line, not amused at all. She didn't want to see them right now. She wanted some time alone, and what better could that be than a solo mission? She didn't want to be bothered, and surely Naruto would come banging by her apartment begging for forgiveness. And this time she didn't want to forgive so easily. She wanted them to sweat awhile before they could get het forgiveness. She would forgive them eventually, she couldn't after all be mad at her boys for a long time, but they sure will need to do some heavy butt kissing before she would do that.

She stopped momentarily as she gazed up to the light lit room before her. She could see the big green chair her Shishou always sat in, the piles of paper dooming up before her on the desk. The window was open slightly and she could see the green covered arm of the vest Tsunade always wore. Her anger melted away slightly as she thought at her Shishou. She didn't know why, but every time she was near her presence she felt more save, relaxed. Leaping onto the tree and onto the red roof she walked to the open window, knocked softly onto the window three times and waited till the chair turned around so her Shishou could see her.

Honey eyes locking with hers, she smiled and waved slightly. The sternness Sakura saw earlier in her eyes softened as she saw it was her own apprentice, and signalled her to come inside. Pushing the window further open, Sakura squeezed into the room, placed her bag onto the ground and walked to sit into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"What do are you doing here in this hour?" Tsunade asked curiously, her honey eyes sliding towards the bag Sakura left behind by the window before turning back to her. "With a bag no less."

Sakura sighed, her eyes staring at the pile of paper on the right, not wanting to look into her Shishou's eyes just yet. "I need a mission. Alone."

Tsunade's eyes widened at her request. Something must have happened to make her apprentice act like this. "What happened?" her voice tinted with worry.

"I just need some time away from the boys, that's all," Sakura said, her eyes finally meeting the honey ones of her Shishou. "I can't bear to be around them right now, so please give me a mission."

Tsunade sighed, leaned back into her chair. Her right hand came up as she rubbed her forehead tiredly. "You finally figured it out huh?"

Hearing this statement Sakura looked up shocked, her eyes widened slightly as she stared full disbelief at her mentor. "You knew?"

Tsunade nodded, bend forwards to lean on the desk as she clasped her hands together. "Of course I knew, I said he was on a mission didn't I?"

Sakura eyes narrowed, her hands clenched as she stared at Tsunade with venom. "How could you?! I thought I could trust you and-."

Tsunade held up her hand, signalling her apprentice to stop her annoying ranting. "Sit down girl and I'll explain."

"But…"

"I said sit down!" Pouting and crossing her arms, Sakura sat down. Glaring at her Shishou as she waited for her to explain why she let her in the dark.

Seeing that her apprentice didn't complain any further, Tsunade sighed, leaned back into her chair and stared hopefully at her left drawer where her sake was stored. She desperately needed the goods, but it wouldn't do Sakura much good if she went to do just that. Sighing once again she turned her focus to the salmon haired girl whose attention was fixed on her.

"Who helped you when you were mourning over your parents?" Tsunade asked suddenly.

Sakura blinked, not remembering such thing until the flashback of the lecture Kakashi had given her right before he moved in temporarily until she took her of herself better. She titled her head a bit down. "Kakashi did."

"Who helps you develop new genjutsu and spar with you every moment of the day when it comes out for you?" Sakura sighed, knowing where Tsunade was going with this. "Kakashi did, Shishou."

"Exactly, that man may not have been there for you in the beginning and he's trying to make it up for it since then. He's helping you in any way he can, even if it means for him to tear down some walls that was protecting him since his youth against others."

Sakura blinked, confused at Tsunade just said. "What do you mean?"

"He always pushed people away from him. He didn't want someone to get close to his heart. But he's slowly opening up, and only towards you. He acts differently around you Sakura. Haven't you noticed?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly in thoughts, only to rise up as her memory confirmed the statement Tsunade just made. In the beginning Kakashi was closed up, didn't tell anything about him and didn't say much at all. But slowly he began to open up more towards his team, but the bond between him and his female former student has been changed. When Naruto, Sasuke or any other person talks to him, he just keeps reading his book as if he's not listening. But when Sakura talking with him, the Icha Icha copy he would be carrying around that day was no where to be found in his hands, but safely put in his pouch for later and his attention completely devoted to her. And that was one of the many things he only does with her.

"You don't mean?" Sakura stared to her mentor. Tsunade simply nodded, a grin appearing on her face as Sakura finally understood what she was trying to say. "He never opened up to anyone, but you dear Sakura-chan did the unthinkable with him. You could say I was rather surprised, but it's not unusual. Because of the close bonds the team share with each other, it's only to be expected that some fall in love in the end."

Sakura swallowed heavily. Kakashi was in love with her. One part of her was rather disturbed by the news, but what shocked her more that the major part of her didn't mind it at all. On the contrary, a warm feeling inside of her flared up within her as the word love fell from Tsunade's lips. She knew the bond she shared with Kakashi was different than she shared with all her other male friends. Maybe her subconscious knew all along that something like this would happen. It wasn't like he was unattractive, and she always felt at peace with him. He had seen her at her worse and best; all her nasty habits but still kept coming for her. She sighed, her eyes sliding towards the floor as she submitted to her feelings. She had a soft spot for her former sensei, she couldn't deny that. But if it was love she did not know. It was affection that was for sure. But if it was pure, sweet love that you see in old movies, that was certainly not it. It wasn't like she was drooling or blushing at the sight of him, becoming nervous and stuttering when he spoke at her. It was a beginning of something that would slowly but surely would become love if she let it grew as it was now. But she was still doubting on is if she wanted to let it happen or not.

"Wouldn't you find it disturbing if Kakashi and I hook up?" Sakura asked softly, still not looking her Shishou in the eyes but kept her eyes focused on the wooden floor.

"The village would be surprised, and there will be rumors," Tsunade said as she leaned back in her chair. "But I can't think of a better person for either you or him to be together. Seeing his youth wasn't quite joyful and yours wasn't either. Not to mention that your offspring would be hell of a shinobi. Your chakra control and his skills and combined intelligence, man any ninja village would kill for such fighters."

Sakura's eyes twitched slightly at the last comment. "You only are trying to hook me up with Kakashi because our kids would be killing machines?" But than the fact hit her that she didn't disturb her at the thought of her having Kakashi's kids, it was rather the fact that they would be seen as simply tools that bothered her the most. A sudden blush adored her cheeks as she thought at what she had to do with him if it ever came so far. '_Bad train of thoughts, really need to stop thinking about him that way._'

"You do have to admit it's a match made in heaven Sakura-chan. And he's not that unattractive. If I wasn't that old…" Tsunade sighed. Sakura blanked, a sweat drop rolling down the sight of her head as a dreamily look appeared on her Shishou's face.

Pulling her head out of the gutter, Tsunade clasped her hands together again, a serious look appearing on her face. "I know what they did to you wasn't right. But I'm not letting you leave on a solo mission." Sakura seemed to protest when Tsunade held up her hand as she continued on. "But seeing the new project coming along at the hospital I want you to run it. I'll be taking you active duty as a kunoichi for the time being so you can get yourself prepared to lead the project."

Sakura nodded. She may not have her way of leaving the village, but this new project coming up she didn't have the time to train with her team and just gave her a reason to stay away from them for the time being. "Thank you Shishou."

"No problem, I wanted to ask Shizune to lead the project, but seeing you're just as skilled at her, you're just as calcified as she is." Sakura stood up as she went to grab her bag she dropped at the window. But as she opened the window she did not make a move to go out just yet, but instead she turned around to address her Shishou once more.

"Is that offer of yours still standing?" Tsunade looked up surprised. Sakura was very attached to her living place, so her request really shocked her and could mean two things. One she was finally moving on or two; she was trying to get a new place where her current team mates didn't know where it was to avoid them. Tsunade expected the latter.

"Yes, come by tomorrow and I'll have some places for you to look at." Sakura nodded, murmured a thanks and a goodnight before she disappeared out of the window.

Tsunade shook her head smiling as she stood up to close the window. "Even if she didn't believe me, Kakashi is already rubbing off on her with his strange habits of not using the door." She turned back to her chair, sat down and smiled as she thought back at the blush staining on Sakura's cheeks. She may not be in love with Kakashi yet. But love waits for one thing, the right moment. And the right moment would come soon enough for both of them.

_**To be continued…**_


	9. unexpected

**A/N:** Hey guys! Finally having my inspiration back, I'm back on track ^^ So the updates will be once again once a week just like old times. But seeing the next chapter will be the last, it won't mean that much I guess. Thank you for all the lovely reviews and the new favs, alerts on my or the story. I'm glad you guys like it so much. Well enough talk from me, on with the story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 9: **

Sakura stirred in her bed as the alarm went off. Groaning softly she stretched one arm to switch the alarm off before letting it drop, her finger tips touching the wood of her bedroom floor. Her eyes were still firmly closed, her eyebrows knitted together in frustration. She turned her head around, noticing that there wasn't something warm and fussy curled up against her side this time. But soon as she thought that thought, a flashback of her cat turning into her former sensei appeared in front of her eyes, and pushed all the confused emotions away to make way for anger and irritation. Throwing the sheets off of her she sat up, her legs dangling of the edge and her bare feet touching the ground. As she rubbed her eyes sleepily she stood up and made her way towards the bathroom to ready herself for the day.

She had to go to the library to pick up some books for the upcoming project she would be leading. Not to mention her early run she always did and visiting her Shishou for the new apartments she found appropriate. Tilting her head down and her right hand touching the cooled tile of her shower, she let the streams of water hit the back of her neck and rolling down over her back. Her eyes were closed in concentration as she did her morning chakra exercises to strengthen her muscles. When she was done with her morning ritual she locked her apartment and started running. But unlike what she usual did, she didn't stop by the Haruno graveyard. Instead she kept running, her eyes only sliding towards the graves with a silent greeting in her head before running on.

When she returned back into the village, the streets were already crowded with people who had wakened to greet the new day. Not wanting to be bothered by someone she knew and certain boys she leapt onto the roofs, adding chakra into her feet as she wanted to increase her speed a little. The earlier she was by her Shishou, the faster she could move into her new apartment without them bothering her.

As she leaped past Ichiraku she heard the faint call of her name but decided to ignore it. Her senses told her she wasn't followed by the one who called, and sighed inwardly relieved by that fact. As she neared the Hokage tower she dropped back onto the main street, landing as graceful as a kunoichi of her calibre could do and walked in a normal pace to the tower.

A short wave of the hand and a nod, she greeted the new receptionist stationed at the entrance. She nodded and smiled back, her hand signalling for Sakura to walk on as she kept talking with the person on the other side of the line as she spoke into the horn she held in her hand. Walking to steps at the time, Sakura was upstairs in no time, knocked on the door three times before opening the door and letting herself in. the scenery hadn't changed since she came her last night. The only thing was that there was a sake bottle decorating her desk this time and instead of an awake Shishou, she was sleeping soundly on her desk.

Sakura shook her head as she chuckled softly. Moving forward she carefully touched Tsunade's forehead she the tip of her finger glowed a dim green. Healing the hangover away meant that Tsunade was in a more cooperative mood, and that was what Sakura needed today.

Removing the hand of Tsunade's forehead she placed it now on her shoulder, carefully shaking her as she called out her name.

Tsunade mumbled something inaudible, making Sakura frown as she shook a tad harder. Finally her eyes opened groggily and blinked a few times before staring up towards her face. Sakura smiled in return, removing her hand and waved. "Good morning Shishou."

Tsunade sighed, wondered briefly where her hangover was with all the sake she'd drunken last night when she came to the conclusion Sakura had healed it away. Tilting her head up she placed her right hand to support the weight as she laid her chin on her open palm. "What are you doing here so early?"

Sakura coughed before a grin appeared on her lips as she sat down in front of her. "It's almost midday Shishou." She watched as the tired honey eyes looked at her, her brains still trying to progress the information she just had. Sakura tried not to laugh as she noticed the widening of Tsunade's eyes and jerked up. "WHAT!"

Trying to calm the now hysterical woman, Sakura told her that Naruto was taking her duties of Hokage today under supervision of Shizune. "Have you forgotten Shishou?" Sakura asked as Tsunade calmed down and sat back. "It was you after all who suggested this."

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her forehead as she did so. "I know, I wasn't thinking clearly today."

'_I noticed that.'_ Sakura thought sarcastically and smiled. She watched as her Shishou opened a drawer, mumbled something Sakura didn't hear before a file filled with paper was placed upon the desk before her. Her eyes blinked and waited for the approving of Tsunade before she opened it. As she skipped through the pages Tsunade began to talk.

"After you left, yesterday I started to search for the files about the still inhabitant apartments here in Konoha. These are all the ones you can afford easily without straining to pay the rent and all. Seeing I have my time free we can go watch them together if you want?"

Sakura looked up from the pages, a real smile adoring her features this time. "I really appreciate that Shishou."

"Then is settled we'll go look for the apartments after we haven eaten something."

**xXx**

His eye was watching the spot where Sakura had been standing, trying to tell himself that this wasn't happening. That all of this was just a bad dream and would wake up any moment now in Sakura's comfy bed curled up at her side. But no, the pain straining his heart and the cold breeze he felt against his uncovered skin told him otherwise. This was reality, and Sakura had left them moments ago, yelling she didn't want to see them at all.

He heard the conversation between his other two teammates, but paid no attention to it. His thoughts were racing in his head, trying to come up with a solution to this problem. He didn't notice that Sasuke had left, and only turned his eye from the spot as he tensed when he felt a hand touching his shoulder. Turning his head slightly to the side he noticed it was Naruto that touched him. His eye drooped even more, seeing the sadness, guilt and pain in the younger man's eyes.

"I'm so sorry Kakashi," Naruto said softly. "I hoped that after this you two would hook up." He bowed his head in shame and started to tremble a little. "But I just ruined everything, why can't I do anything right? I finally thought I had something clever thought up for you guys but it seems I'm not even good in that."

His voice sounded hurt, combined with sorrow. Kakashi sighed, noticing the trembling was from fighting against his tears. It might have been his fault that Sakura was mad at them, furious even as he thought back at hatred filled look in the emerald eyes. Lifting his hand he let it rest on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair like he did with Sakura when she was upset in the younger days. His eyes crinkled into his familiar smile even if he didn't want to smile with all the guilt in his guts he was feeling that moment. "It's alright Naruto. It was a good gesture but we should have checked the area before you changed me back."

Naruto looked up, his bright blue eyes shining with the unshed tears. "So you don't hate me?" He asked softly.

His eye widened slightly at the question but understood where it came from. Naruto had been alone for all his life. And now that he had friends, he was quite possessive over them and his greatest fear was that they would leave him alone. They were like the family Naruto never had to change to get a taste from, and now that this happened he feared that he screwed up so much that his family would break apart. "Of course not," Kakashi said, his voice a bit stern as if asking where the hell that he even came up with the idea.

The smile that appeared on his voice was worth the back crushing hug he had gained right after. He felt a bit uncomfortable with the hug, but knowing Naruto needed physical contact at the moment he let it pass. Instead of hugging the boy back, he really didn't feel comfortable with that with the same gender he simply kept ruffling his hair as gesture he didn't mind it. The moment Naruto pulled back, Kakashi breathed inwardly relieved. He told Naruto to go home and watched as the boy whipped his arm across his eyes quickly, the smile never faltering. "See you tomorrow Sensei," Naruto said before turning around and walking towards home.

Kakashi however sprinted the other way, into the direction of Sakura's apartment. He wanted to say he was sorry and explain what happened. He was sure that tomorrow she would do anything in het power to avoid them. And knowing from experience she was good in it too, he rather sort things out now. Seeing the building Sakura and he had lived for the past two weeks looming up before him he sped up, pushing his feet of the ground and leaping into the roofs. Finally landing on Sakura's balcony he took a deep breathe before moving forward en opening the window. His eye took in the darkened living room, and at the first sight he didn't see anything wrong. Stepping in he moved towards the bedroom, his eyebrow raised confused at the fact the door was open. Walking into the other room he stared confused at the empty bed. He took in the fact her drawers were pulled open and clothes rather brutally taken from its place. Knowing first hand that Sakura was quite a neat freak in that category he knew something was wrong. Almost automatically he walked over to the closet he knew where her travel bags were kept and opened it only to see her mission bag missing from the collection.

"Damnit," he cursed softly under his breath and turned on his heels to race towards the first place that came into mind. The hokage tower. Making sure everything looked the same as before he came in he leaped out of the window towards his new destination. But as he neared the tower he saw the lights were flipped off, and no signal of somebody still sitting in the office. Stopping midway he sighed heavily, his hand running over his unruly silver locks. Tsunade would be angry if he would disturb her at such a late hour, and it wouldn't do anything good for his health. Sakura was the only one who could do such things without any danger for her health. Tsunade saw her as her own daughter after all. Knowing he wouldn't find her now, he decided to go back home, sleep a little before continuing his search tomorrow.

The next morning he awoke it took him a few moments to realize that yes he was a human and no the things he'd been through the last few hours weren't simply a nightmare. He wasn't curled up at Sakura's side, her comforting warmth surrounding him and the soft comfy mattress he'd gotten used to was gone and replaced by his hard one. He sighed, knowing he missed the presence of his former female student. Crawling out of bed he dressed himself and moved over towards the Haruno graveyard. But this time as he arrived he saw no one greeting the graves like she always did at this time. His mood dropping quickly he turned to leave. If she wasn't here at this time, it was most likely she went away for a mission.

The scent of the freshly made miso soup over at Ichiraku's made way to his nose, his stomach rumbling in answer. Quickly giving in to his cravings he sat down at one of the stools before the counter and ordered his favoured. He ignored the love-struck gaze Ayame gave him and simply flipped his book open, reading it while he waited for his order to arrive. A sudden familiar chakra-signature fell within his range and made him look up from his book. Quickly stepping outside the shop he stared up to the roofs, only to see a flash of pink and red moving towards the Hokage tower.

"Sakura!" But like he'd expected, she didn't react and kept running on. His gaze locked on her as it slowly disappeared between the buildings. Sitting back down he was already lost in thoughts, thinking how to make Sakura to talk with him. He didn't even notice Ayame placing his miso soup before him as he kept gaze upon the cover of his book. Having lost his appetite he pulled out his wallet and paid for the meal before he poofed away, appearing before the memorial stone. While he greeted his friends, his mind was still wondering back to the pink haired medic, trying to come up with something to come back in the good grace of Sakura.

**xXx**

Having eaten the dango's Tsunade had let her to one place to another. But one was too small for her liking; the other was way too big or simply didn't have her approval of the setting. And as the hours ticked away, Tsunade slowly got annoyed at her apprentice and her picky attitude. There was always something she found to complain on. And as the moved to the last building she had placed on the list she begged Kami she would like this one. Not only did she had enough visiting place to place, but a certain person lived within the building and it might do her some good for both of them to live so close.

As they stepped into the lift, Tsunade pushed the button to make it go to the seventh floor. Sakura leaned back against the railing as her fluttered closed. Her arms were crossed before her chest, one hand holding the list of addresses that was now mostly decorated with big stripes that scrapped away the ones Sakura didn't find to her taste. As the lifted let out a small sound to let the passengers know they arrived, Sakura opened her eyes and stepped out. Her eyes looked at the door numbers and stopped for the one with the number 717. Pushing in the key she'd gotten from the person in the lobby, she opened the door.

Her eyes were greeted with a big open room that served as a living/dining room. There were only four doors Sakura saw. One probably leading towards the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom as the other was a storage room. But she only had it partly right. The kitchen entrance was a hole in the wall, a walk through she'd seen by Ino. It was shaped into a small bow and she could see the woods from out of the window. Smiling she walked to the other door thought was the kitchen, but noticed it was a spare room. Knowing her friends slept by her a lot she knew that particular room would come quite in handy. The bathroom wasn't small like she'd seen by the other apartments. This one reminded her of her own she had back home. It wasn't quite large more a medium. She had a bathtub place at the very end, and a small window above her toilet. Walking out and into the master bedroom she smiled at the sight she saw.

It was bigger than the room she had now, and saw she had a build-in-closet (think it's called that way). Opening the door she saw it was the perfect place to store her precious family possessions. Turning her eyes to the other corner of the room she saw the glass-shaped doors that led to the balcony. Pushing one open she took in the view. She could see the lake that was on the Uchiha ground and beyond the woods that surrounded the village. It was quite a sight indeed, and she wouldn't mind to spend some time here to relax. Even if it was in one of the busiest streets of Konoha, she didn't hear much noise from below. Her arms leaned upon the cold railing that secured the balcony she looked down to the small looking people crawling through the streets. No, she wouldn't mind at all to live here. Made up her mind she spun around and made her way back to her mentor that waited in the living room.

Honey eyes looked hopefully up at her as she waited for her decision. "I take it," Sakura said and grinned as she heard the relief sigh her mentor let loose. "Good, I sort out the arrangements for you back at the receptionist at the entrance. Sakura nodded, let her gaze skip over the shortly becoming her apartment before following her Shishou downstairs. As the receptionist asked when she wanted to move in, Sakura answered she would be delighted if she could come later this day. The receptionist blinked confused, never seen someone so eager to come and nodded it could be done. As Sakura moved back to her old apartment and the new set of keys she left the apartment building, leaving Shishou behind to deal with all the paper work.

Speaking with her landlord and explaining everything, the old man nodded; telling her he would miss such a great renter and accepted the keys back. Walking up one last time Sakura grabbed the scrolls from a cabinet and sealed all her stuff in the scrolls. Carefully rolling the scrolls up, she looked around her apartment one more time before she teleported away.

As she settled into her new apartment and everything was done, she sighed relived, letting herself fall down on her couch as she closed her eyes. She finally had the feeling she closed a painful chapter from her life. As if a big burden fell off her shoulders. Opening her eyes she stared at the ceiling, thinking back at all the things she'd been through in her last apartment.

Prodding herself up on her elbows she turned her head towards the door as a knock rang through the apartment. Figuring it would be her new neighbours trying to welcome her home she stood up and moved towards the door. Pushing down the metal handle she stared into the face she wasn't expecting at all.

**xXx**

Haven't seen her on their daily training session it even depressed Kakashi further. Sighing heavily he flipped his book open as he moved back towards his home. He hadn't seen Sakura the rest of the day after their small encounter in the morning by Ichiraku. Making his way through the streets without bumping into someone he pushed the door open and greeted the receptionist who was sitting there as usual.

"Good afternoon Hatake-san," the girl chirped as she lowered the magazine she'd been reading.

"Good afternoon Shyna-san," Kakashi nodded and pushed the elevator button. "You have a new neighbour you know? A new girl moved in today in number 717, pretty one too."

"Is that so?" Kakashi said, his voice holding no interest. Feeling that he wasn't in the mood to talk, the girl dropped the topic and continued to read. As he stepped into the elevator he pushed the button seven and waited for the door to open once again.

Passing by the door 717 he stopped briefly to look at the closed door. Living in the apartment 719 he only found in appropriate to invite the new person over for a cup of tea, even if he wasn't in the mood for company. Placing his Icha Icha in his pouch for latter he knocked on the door, stepped a bit back and waited for the new arrival to open the door. Seeing the handle going down he stared to smile and lifted his hand for a wave-greeting. But stopped midway as his eye opened in shock as the sweet sound of her voice filled the air.

"Kakashi-sensei?!"

_**To be continued…**_


	10. acceptance

**A/N:** Yes people, the very last chapter of this story. Another one of mine coming to an end ^^. Thanks to all of you who stayed and helped me out. Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favs. Enjoy the very last chapter of it started with a jutsu ;)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 10: **

This wasn't happening. The man she wanted to avoid the most was now standing before her door. She hoped she could get away, even if it was just for a day. But no, he found her once again and way too early for her taste. But she couldn't expect anything less from the Copy Nin, he was after all the number one tracker of the village.

Standing there stunned before the door, her shocked gaze turned into a glare in a matter of moments. Her grip on the door tightened slightly, the metal groaning softly at the brutal grip it was being held. Her eyes narrowed and eyebrows knitting together in furry before she slammed the door shut again, not wanting to speak with him. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but to her it seemed like an eternity passed by that moment. Rubbing her hand over her eyes she slowly walked back to the living room. Dropping her hand to her side, she slipped onto the couch, her eyes staring numbly at the coffee table before her.

Sighing she closed her eyes briefly, not wanting to deal with anything at the moment. But her little wish seemed to be ignored as another knock sounded on the door, this time a bit more demanding than before. Snapping her eyes open, and twitching in irritation she turned her head slightly only to yell. "LEAVE ME ALONE HATAKE!"

The knocking stopped, and Sakura leaned back against the couch of relief. But the flare of chakra she felt, she opened her eyes in horror, only to see a familiar person dooming up between the smoke his jutsu created. That moment Sakura wished she had placed the seals in her new home that didn't allow people to teleport in her room. Coughing loudly she stumbled off the couch, wanting to grab a window and the need of fresh air. As she poked her head outside, a hand grabbed her left wrist tight, as if he was afraid she would disappear if he let go. Pushing the window further open, she finally turned around and yanked her hand out of his grasp.

"Get out of my house," she snapped with fury, her arms crossing before her chest as she glared into the lone eye.

"Not until you heard my explanation. After that you can yell at me what you want," Kakashi said before turning around and automatically sitting in the corner seat of the couch. The spot he always had been lying on back when he was still a cat. Sakura groaned inwardly, knowing the fact too before moving to the farst seat away from Kakashi. She swung her leg over the other, deliberately looked the other way. She didn't want him here, but she knew him longer than today. If Kakashi wanted something, he wouldn't leave until he would get his chance to do it. So it would be better to just get along with ever he had planned before kicking him out of her apartment.

"Thought you lived in the eastern block of Konoha?" Kakashi tried to get a conversation going. He noticed she looked everywhere but him, and it hurt him. He wanted her to look at him, smile at him like she'd done when he was still a cat. Talk to him carefree as if he was the only one that mattered to her. He missed her soft caresses she did when she walked by and saw him sitting on the couch or window sill. He missed her gentle green eyes, the ones that lit up whenever she saw him waiting for her. And most of all he mist her comfortable warmth at night when they shared her bed. Her soft comfy bed, with the soft silken sheets that curled up around you just the way you like it and revealing just enough pale skin of Sakura as she shifted into a more comfortable position before continuing to sleep. He sighed, knowing he had it bad. He cringed inwardly as her cold voice answered his question.

"I moved. Now get to your point." Knowing she wasn't in for a small talk, Kakashi began to explain. He started to what happened to him at the training field, waking up in Naruto's home and being placed under her care. He answered every question she asked of him. At the end Sakura sighed, still a bit pissed with the boys tricking her but not as mad she'd been before.

Seeing the hard gaze in the emerald eyes soften, Kakashi sighed inwardly relieved. Sasuke was right when he said Sakura wasn't a person to hold a grudge to someone. She was just too kind hearted to do such thing. Knowing she had partly forgiven him, made the heavy feeling he had felt disappear and something different, something he couldn't recognize but felt nice all the same. As she turned her head to look at him, his breath got stuck in his throat, the feeling he got growing rapidly and his heart beat quickened. He felt his cheeks heat up and he thanked Kami for wearing his mask. The way the last sun rays touched her skin made her glow, made her look like an angel fallen from the sky to greet him. It gave her a peaceful glance, and let out her features even more. Knowing he needed to get away before his self control crumbled internally and would end up him doing something stupid that would only cost their friendship he stood up quickly, already moving towards the door.

Sakura looked up confused at his sudden movement. They hadn't said anything after the last question, and it was a comfortable silence at that. She had forgiven him yes, and turned to look at him. But the sudden dreamy look in his eye confused her, and the sudden move shocked her than also. He was the one that demanded to stay here. And now he moved rather stiffly than before towards the door, trying to avoid looking her straight in the eye. She wondered what happened in the last few moments that would have changed his attitude. But knowing she would only get a headache if she tried to figure Hatake Kakashi out, she let it slide. Instead she opened the door for him, saw the smile crinkle appear before he quickly walked out. His hand went to his back pouch, and Sakura heard the familiar jingle of keys rather than seeing them. Only then she knew she was living next door to her Sensei. She leaned against the door post, her head shaking as she remembered the secret smile of her Shishou when she told her she accepted the new apartment. That sly fox knew it all along.

With a shake of her head she turned her gaze to her former sensei whom opened the door and was already half in. "I'll see you tomorrow at training." His voice sounded rather nervous. And Sakura cocked her head, her eyebrows rising in confusion. She never heard Kakashi being so nervous. What happened between them what made him act like this? '_He never opened up to anyone, but you dear Sakura-chan did the unthinkable with him. You could say I was rather surprised, but it's not unusual. Because of the close bonds the team share with each other, it's only to be expected that some fall in love in the end._' The sentence Tsunade had said yesterday rang through her ears, her eyes widening in surprise. He was acting shy? Just because she looked him in the eye he got flustered? She snickered inwardly, realizing just how much power she held over him. She got out her inner musings when she saw the flicker of a door closing. She wanted to tell him now than rather have him finding out tomorrow from Shizune that would come along and tell them the news.

"I won't be there. For a three months actually," Sakura said calmly before turning around and wanting to close the door. The sudden hand blocking her move came expected, and small smile flickered on her face before turning to normal. She turned around, seeing the gloved hand of Kakashi placed upon the wooden surface on her door as he stopped her from closing. His eye was wide with shock and disbelief, and Sakura could see a hint of fear in them.

"Are you leaving?" Sakura shook her head, and noticed the hint of fear leaving and replaced by relief. "Then why aren't you coming?"

"Tsunade placed me on a new project to lead, and it would take three months before it will be completed." She watched as Kakashi slowly pulled his hand back, the information sinking into his brain. "Ah."

Grinning inwardly Sakura wanted to tease him just a bit. She leaned a bit in, looking at him from below her eyelashes as she spoke. "Were you worried I'd leave on a solo mission Sensei?" Her voice sounded innocent, her lips a bit wet and glinting of her salvia as she ran her tongue by it. Her inner cheered in victory as she noticed the faint blush creeping up under his mask his eye focusing on her coated lips. Sakura had to bite her lower lip to control the growing need to laugh.

"No, I just thought you wanted to leave after what we've done to you. I'm glad you didn't." He quickly turned his head, said his goodbye as cool and normal as he could before quickly making an exit. Sakura closed the door before releasing a chuckle she'd been fighting on. Tsunade had been right on one thing. He did feel something towards her, the blush being the obvious piece of evidence. Walking towards her kitchen she went to prepare her dinner, a small smile on her lips all the while as she thought back at her blushing image of her sensei.

**xXx**

It had been three months since Kakashi knew Sakura moved next door to him. And even though she was busy at the hospital, he still saw her regularly. Sometimes it was still a bit awkward at times when they spoke, but soon everything turned back to normal. They were back at close friends, but still Kakashi felt that something had shifted in their relationship. He didn't know what it was, but his touch lingered longer than necessarily. He came up with excuses just to be with her more than the two hours they shared back at their apartment building. Sakura didn't seem to mind his touches. Sometimes she'd even lean into them, causing his heart to miss a beat and the feeling in his stomach fluttering with delight.

This being the last day for the research, he wanted to do something special. Sasuke and Naruto had been sent away for a guarding mission where he wasn't needed. Kakashi didn't mind it he was being left out. The look in Tsunade's eyes when he looked at him told him more than enough than he needed to know. He already had her permission and now with the two being away he got some time to be with his cherry blossom alone. Pacing up and down in his apartment he tried to think of something special. It wasn't going to be a dinner, since his cooking rather sucked. He could pull a meal together to safe his life, but if it was eatable was another question. He sighed depressed. His mind was blank of any ideas or not good enough for his standard.

His lone eye dwelled to the clock on the wall. Even though he was always late, it didn't mean he didn't own a clock. He always was one time to greet and honour his friend imprinted on the memorial stone. Seeing he had only three more hours to come up with something he sighed once again. This wasn't good. He was acting like a freaking teenager who didn't know what to wear on his first date. He would rather face a bunch of missing rogues than dealing with these kinds of feelings. He almost wanted to go to Genma and ask him for advice, but quickly decided against it. He would only be more a bother than help. Same applied to Gai. Groaning inwardly at his loss of ideas, he banged his head against the wall close to the storage room. The door clicked open and all his stuff he placed there fell out along with something long and sharp he'd hidden away. Glancing down at the item he smiled, finally having the perfect idea for Sakura. He ignored the pile of scrolls, old clothes and weapons scattered of the floor and raced towards the training ground to set up his idea.

When Sakura opened the door of her apartment, she noticed a small note lying on her kitchen table. Placing her bag down on the ground and throwing her medic coat off she picked up the small piece of paper and read the message.

_Sakura meet me at the old training ground at 7_

Immediately recognizing the neat handwriting from Kakashi she smiled, throwing the message in the nearby trash bin. Making her way towards her bathroom she decide to take a quick shower to fresh a bit up before moving towards the training grounds, slightly curious what her former sensei had planned to do. When it was time to go, Sakura leaped out of the window and moved towards the training grounds she'd used when she was still a genin and was now used for regular spar meeting between the members of team 7. As she arrived she let out a gasp of shock, her eyes taking in the small set of candles, a basket lying at the base of the tree they were always sitting when they held a break before sparring once again.

She walked over, kneeled down and inhaled the delicious scent of tempura from her favourite stand. Feeling a flicker of chakra she turned her head to the right, her eyes wandering up a set of legs and stopping as it met the onyx eye of Kakashi. A small appeared on her lips as she stood up to greet him. "What's all this for?" She asked half bewildered, sitting down as Kakashi opened the basket to give her some food.

"This is a special occasion is it not?" He said while handing her, her plate before beginning with his own. "It's your last day from the project, meaning you're free for training once again."

Sakura snickered, took a bite of her food and closed her eyes in bliss. It tasted so good. "You missed getting you're ass almost handed over by me don't you?" She teased before taking another bite. Kakashi shrugged, but the wicked glint in his eye before it crinkled up in his familiar smile told her enough. She leaned against his shoulder as she continued to eat, enjoying the calm scenery before them and the soft breeze of a summer night. After they had eaten dessert Sakura stood up, stretched before looking down at Kakashi.

"Thank you; it was a really lovely gesture Kakashi." She smiled, one that reached her green eyes as it twinkled along with her happiness. The faint blush she'd seen three months ago appeared, the light that the candle provided making it even more adorable than it already was. A sudden flare of love welt up in her, almost making her eyes widen in surprise. When did she start loving him? She had a soft spot for him yes, but it wasn't love. But looking in the lone eye of Kakashi told her otherwise. She loved him, and the way he looked at her told her the same thing what Tsunade told her. He loved her, maybe even more than he realised at the moment.

He finally stood up, brushed away some offending pink locks that tried to hide her eyes for him before pulling back. "This is not all Sakura-chan," He said cheery. He grabbed her hand instead, leading her away from the candles and further into the training grounds. Passing trees and bushes they finally stopped in another clearing, and Sakura saw two katana's resting against the bark of the tree, waiting to be used for a good fight.

"I know you wanted to master sword fighting," Kakashi began. He let her hand loose and grabbed both katana's and holding one out for Sakura to take. "I'm sorry for letting you think I would simply reject you than teaching you something back in the old days. I should have seen you're potential." He sighed, his eye darken with regret. "Could I make it up with you by teaching it now? You always have been a bright student, and it would be an honour to teach you the art of the sword."

Sakura nodded, smiling all the while as she did so. Still keeping her katana in it's saya she walked over to Kakashi and hugged him tightly. "Thank you Kakashi, thank you for everything."

He stiffened slightly under her touch, but quickly relaxed and hugged her back just as fiercely. The feeling welled up to its breaking point, and he couldn't resist any longer. Leaning a bit back so his face was close to Sakura's , he pulled his mask down before kissing her softly on her lips, smiling as she answered back with placing a hand on his neck so he couldn't pull back.

**xXx**

Naruto cheered out loud as he saw the green gates dooming out before him. Pushing chakra into his feet his raced towards the entrance, knowing his pink haired friend and former sensei would be standing there waiting for their arrival. A small grunt of annoyance sounded on his left side but choose to ignore it. He couldn't wait to see Kakashi and Sakura again. Even though they hadn't hooked up straight after his plan, he did see they grew closer than before. And seeing that happening he was proud of himself, because it was because of him this had happened.

Jumping out of the tree and back on the soiled ground he raced the last mile on the road. His bright blue eyes focused on the small dot of pink and silver standing next to each other. Taking a deep breath he bellowed, his speed increasing even more as he already opened his arms in advance. "SAKURA-CHAN!"

He almost ran her over with his speed, throwing her in the air before catching her and spinning around, hugging Sakura tight all the while. "I missed you so much Sakura-chan," He sniffed, his grip tightened as Sakura groaned against the fierce hold Naruto held her in.

"I missed you too," Sakura breathed out, eagerly trying to breathe. "Let me go please… need air…"

Naruto laughed sheepishly, releasing Sakura from his grip as he scratched his head embarrassed. "Sorry Sakura-chan."

The woman in question sunk to the ground, eagerly taking in gulps of air. The silver haired man that stood beside her walked up, carefully tilted her up and asked if she was okay. Sakura simply nodded, kissed him on his masked mouth as gratitude of his worry.

At this moment Naruto blinked, looking at Sakura to Kakashi and back again. Noticing his intense stare Sakura turned her head slightly to look at him as she leaned against Kakashi. His arms wrapped around her immediately as a reflex, a smile on his face as he held his cherry blossom.

"Are you too together?" He asked, his voice tinted with disbelief. Sakura nodded, a bit nervous how he would react at the new piece of information he just received.

"Finally!" Naruto called out before hugging them both. "I knew it would work, I knew it! Changing Kakashi into a cat was a brilliant idea!"

"No it wasn't dobe," Sasuke sighed, finally arriving at the scene too.

"Yes it was!" Naruto yelled back, holding back his anger. "They're together now and all because my brilliant idea! Without it, this wouldn't have happened."

"Loser, it could have happened with or without your help."

"Not true Teme!"

"Dobe."

"Teme!"

Sakura sighed, looking up at her former sensei turned lover. Seeing the same questionable look in his eye she smiled, leaned closer to him as he teleported them away to the training grounds for another session of sword fighting as they leaved the two idiots they called team mates behind.

**The end**

**~Owari~**


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